


Memorial Day

by AikoIsari



Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Adventure, Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02, Digimon Frontier, Digimon Savers | Digimon Data Squad, Digimon Tamers, Digimon Xros Wars, Digita
Genre: Drabble Collection, Gen, Other, Snippets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-17
Updated: 2013-09-04
Packaged: 2017-11-18 20:33:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 100
Words: 28,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/565002
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AikoIsari/pseuds/AikoIsari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thirteen years is a long time, huh? 100 snippets of time from that unlucky number of years. All seasons and most mangas, X overs included</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Crash

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This was originally written for the 13th anniversary of Digimon. However, since I only recently got my account on the site it's going up now. I'm on number twelve and going strong. This story and some others are stories you can read if you want a break from Marionette's insanity.
> 
> Season: 01
> 
> Genre: Friendship
> 
> Characters: Taichi, Agumon
> 
> -The time passes slowly and Taichi reflects that they had started with a bang… and that it had just kept getting weirder from there.

They weren't exactly  _subtle_ when they landed.

Crash, boom. Hit the forest floor. It wasn't exactly rocket science. Neither was meeting the Digimon but… hey, it wasn't every day you saw a bunch of talking monsters in your arms claiming you were absolutely amazing. Strangely enough, Takeru and Mimi took it the best. Then again Takeru was eight and Mimi was… well, Mimi. Even Taichi knew just by looking at her that ditz was right before her given name.

But they would be fine. After all, he was there and he could make some pretty good decisions when it counted… right?

Looking back, Yagami Taichi reasoned that he must have lost his mind somewhere down the line. Otherwise the whole dinosaur becoming a giant  _metal_ dinosaur man due to his refusal to stand down would probably have sent him to the ward with the straitjackets. According to Iori he would have likely been diagnosed with PTSD but Taichi cared about that as much as he did getting himself locked up in the first place.

"Taichi~" The young man looked down from his papers to see his trusty partner struggling to get in the chair. Taichi would have laughed, since it did look rather ridiculous. However the dinosaur made the whole contraption fall over with a loud  _crash._  He held back a snicker and went to go help up the little guy. He took down the apocalypse so Taichi doubted there was any harm that hadn't already been done to Agumon's head that could be. He rubbed at his hair, looking for that large spiky mass that…

Wasn't there anymore.

That was when he laughed. Agumon blinked deep green confusion out at him. "Taichi?"

Taichi just laughed for a few more minutes as he sat back down in his chair, resting the yellow Digimon in his own rather methodically. "I'm fine Agumon," he gasped out slowly as he recovered himself. Inwardly he thanked all manner of holy deities that he was in his own office. Otherwise the others would have called the ambulance and restraints. "It… It just hit me how we… we…"

"Changed?" The Digimon asked hopefully.

"How we fought," finished the first gogglehead with a sigh, finally getting the cynical yet cheery feeling out of his system. "We were kids and we were fighting. We were stupid kids and we were fighting." The odd grin was almost insane on his face, wistful and full of some deep inner acceptance. "Think about it Agumon! We  _crash-landed_ onto foreign soil and ran around like it was our playground. And it was fun! It was fun and it was terrifying all at the same time."

His partner stared at him. "I kinda thought that was how humans worked."

Taichi grinned. "It is. But there… it was  _different_ to us. We had… we had all these real things we thought mattered to us… and they did of course but we could let them go in this place. Even though we saved the world in the end… we probably ended up destroying it first."

Agumon frowned, tapping a claw on his armrest. "Well… of course you guys did." Taichi frowned at this, floored solemnly by the slow and careful words of wisdom that were leaving his dinosaur's mouth. "Like you said, we were kids. But we were strong kids who didn't know what to do with themselves. Sure you blew up some things… and…" He sobered quickly, tears misting and fading in the same instant. "Yes, lots of Digimon and even some humans must have died. I can't say the ends justified the path we took to get there… because I don't think I have the right to say that."

"The right?"

Agumon shrugged. "We aren't gods Taichi. Sure Digimon can be reborn but… we still die after all. So I'm not going to say everything we did was all right because the world is still here. But… I don't think we'd all be here if you hadn't crashed and burned a couple times. So… don't think too much about it Taichi. We have to make it up to all of them right now by doing this job… and preventing any more suffering that we can. Neh?" The dinosaur gave him his usual grin and Taichi returned it.

"Eh… why not? Leave the big world-saving to the kids again." Taichi chuckled at his own words and turned back to the mess on his desk.

Then again… he was still saving the world, just without as many explosions. Well… sometimes. He still had to work on his explanation for the interns to  _not interfere with target practice._


	2. Dim

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 02/Xros
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Yagami Hikari, Kudou Taiki
> 
> -They weren't allowed to let their lights die.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And... number 2~ Enjoy!

2\. Dim

They had met once in the Dark Ocean.

Only then it hadn't been the Ocean. Then it had simply been a formless world of reds and blacks and greys and colorless screams. She had been very young, young and watching her friends fight for no reason she could think of. He had been wandering, lost in the despair of being infinitely lonely. It was hard not to notice him. He glowed in the dark and as she looked at herself, the girl found that she too, was shining. She called out to him and he turned his head. Tears fell from his eyes as he did; his expression lost and full of failure.

Slowly, the little girl walked over to him. "Why are you crying?" she asked simply of the older boy. His eyes, so warm and kind, they shouldn't be darkened with such sadness, not in her opinion. He looked at her slowly, as though trying to remember something far from his self. The boy sat down silently, motioning for her to join him. He wasn't frightened and for some reason that gave her comfort. The fact that he was depressed but not scared meant she could maybe, just maybe help him. Maybe they could find their way out together. Because he looked older than Onii-chan or Jyou-san… maybe he would know what this was. But she had to help him first. Somehow, she knew that.

The little girl realized that if she didn't, even if they left, he wouldn't be able to do anything. So she sat and watched him, waiting to hear him speak.

"My best friend…" the boy said after a moment, looking at his feet as though they held all the answers. "He… died… believing in me. He died… believing I… that I could change his world back to a beautiful place. I… I don't know how… what should I do?"

"Onii-san…" That wasn't fair, she quickly thought, wanting to scold this person's friend. Throwing all their responsibilities on someone else like that… it wasn't fair. Then again, it was what happened to them wasn't it?

"I… went all this way," murmured the boy. "Believing that… with Shoutmon and the others by my side… if all of our hearts were together… we had a chance. And now… we've been thrown apart." The grimness in his voice was almost like a tar, a sickly substance that made his words palpable. "I… I had to keep my footing but… I don't know how to stand back up again…"

The ideas he was saying… they were strangely complicated. But… she thought she understood him. He was lost and scared and hadn't been allowing himself to say he was lost and scared because those he cared about were suffering all around him and he would make it worse if he said anything. So he was doing what he could to keep them up. She understood that. The little girl understood it deeper than probably her Onii-chan and his friends could. They hated suffering and tried to stop it, but it didn't  _hurt_ them. The voices all over the world crying out didn't enter their dreams and swallow their hopes. Did she want them to though… well there was only one answer to that.

Never.

"Does Onii-san regret it?" she asked softly, watching the tears still fall silently down his face. When he looked at her, she managed to meet his gaze. "Do you regret fighting so hard or not saying anything?" He shook his head slowly, as though he wasn't sure but had to give an answer. "Then that's how you get up."

He watched her with a tiny bit of passive curiosity. "Eh?" The little girl frowned to herself, remembering what was happening all around her before… before she got here.

"My friends are fighting each other… because they don't know why they're the ones that have to be here. If I told them what was really out there or that there's more than us," she looked around at the murky world. "They would be hurt so much. I don't want to see that and you don't either right? Your friends… they wouldn't be able to see this right? So you gotta stand up again. There's all this darkness everywhere and we… we have to make it bright. Not because it's bad or anything because you and I know it's not." She wasn't babbling yet. The girl knew the boy understood. They were Light. Of course they understood each other.

"We have to stand up so they don't see the truth they aren't ready for," he murmured, his voice weak but struggling. "We have to be bright so they don't give up. But… what happens if we want to?"

She frowned. "I dunno actually… don't I guess. Cause if we do look down or something's wrong… maybe they'll notice and help us in return."

"It isn't maybe," the boy said with a sudden firmness, a light blooming in his gaze once again. "It is  _definitely._ Because we're… friends." The light on his chest began to blossom. He laughed, pulling himself to his feet. "I forgot that… even if we die… we're still connected… by our dreams… by our hearts... the others are still alive so… it isn't over yet!"

The little girl couldn't help her cheers. "Yes Onii-san! We can't the light in our hearts die!"

 _Because if we do they won't have any reason to believe in themselves._ The boy smiled and held out a hand. "Thank you for that," he said quietly. "I needed a reminder Ojou-chan."

She giggled. "I'm not a princess. I'm just Hikari. Hi-ka-ri!" She shook his gloved hand.

"It suits you," he told her quietly. "I'm Taiki."

"Nice to meet you." Abruptly the light emanating from her body began to intensify, slowly blinding her. "Taiki-onii-san?"

"I think you're going home," he told her softly. The smile that curled his lips held none of the grimness, only a kind sort of resignation. "Tell your friends…" Taiki requested. "Tell them what you've told me. And change their minds. Because something tells me if they give up here… then it won't matter at all who chose them for anything. Promise me you'll tell them!"

Hikari blinked slowly and smiled. Surely, she could do that. "I promise," the little girl called over the rush of light, her ears playing tricks of furious wind.

She couldn't tell the others this however, because when Hikari awoke, she didn't remember a thing, only that someone had once called her a princess.


	3. Futile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Tamers
> 
> Genre: Friendship
> 
> Characters: Matsuda Takato
> 
> -Life… was important. They had to protect it. Drabble.

He couldn't understand…

He just couldn't understand the D-Reaper.

Why was it doing this? Imperfections, the fighting? But if that was the case, wasn't it the same? For using Katou-san for power, for destroying all of this so violently? He didn't understand how the world's weakness could be a reason for getting rid of all life. Could that be because of imperfection? No… nothing was perfect. Not even the D-Reaper. It had weaknesses, things they could do to defeat it. And… and…

"This is fate."

 _No it's not!_  Katou-san's words burned in his chest.  _Maybe we can't change the world but we can change us!_ His fingers closed over his D-Arc. His pale red eyes glimmered with not tears, but dismay and determination and the hopeless hope that he could get her back.

Katou Juri had lived with as many smiles as she possibly could, persevering over sadness and loss to go to school, to make friends, to  _live_. If the D-Reaper destroyed the world, wouldn't that make all of that useless? All of her hard work, her time with Leomon, her family's hope of reconciling… this guy was going to destroy it, because to it the ideas were futile. To it, living, making mistakes, growing… all of it was futile.

Worthless.

The thought made Takato's stomach churn. Life wasn't… it wasn't worthless! He had… created Guilmon… and look what had happened. Even though it wasn't perfect, they still laughed and cried and had an adventure together! They had experiences they couldn't have had by themselves! What about that… didn't the D-Reaper understand? Logic… perfection… who needed that, any of that? Besides that was different. Everyone saw perfection in different ways so…

_It's not worthless. We don't need to disappear._

The power pulsed at his fingers, burning, bursting, wishing to be unleashed.  _We've made a lot of mistakes… and we'll make more… But that's not good enough D-Reaper! I won't… we won't let you take away our lives ,our hopes! We won't disappear! We all deserve to exist!_

_Nothing deserves… to disappear!_

_Matrix… Evolution!_


	4. Hold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 01
> 
> Genre: Family/Angst
> 
> Characters: Taichi, Hikari
> 
> -What would happen to him if she let him go? Episode 21

He was home early. That was not normal.

Today hadn't been normal at all… but she wouldn't tell her Onii-chan that. She wouldn't tell Onii-chan of the monsters on TV or in the street. She wouldn't tell him about her bad dreams. Because he would get scared. That was what happened when Onii-chan found out something was wrong with her. He got scared. She didn't think that was the right thing to do but Onii-chan loved her so… it was just what he did she supposed. She supposed older children did a lot of things, just like adults did. Just like her hiding things from her Onii-chan. It was for the greater good.

She had kept quiet about a lot of things since she was little. She thought it was best to keep doing that. Like her cold. She hadn't been all that sick. She had just felt it wasn't good to leave. That was probably the right thing to do that she knew of cause look at Onii-chan now. He was all sweaty and tired and alone. His face was pale and he was talking to himself, distant and confused She didn't understand his confusion, but of course, she wasn't in the room.

So she went to look. "Onii-chan, you came home early." It was always best to say the obvious.

Well, no, Koromon was with him. It was good to see Koromon again.

"How do you know about Koromon? Why aren't you scared?"

"Koromon is Koromon."

She didn't understand why she should have to say anything else. Her whistle should tell them everything.

She wondered why Onii-chan was so fixed on the date. It wasn't such a big deal was it? It was still August 1st. Maybe he had hit his head and thought the day was something else. That would make sense since he left camp early. Onii-chan probably got in trouble. Silly Onii-chan. His stomach rumbled, well, both of theirs did. So she went to let him cook. That was probably for the best. Besides, she didn't need to ask Onii-chan. He would tell her himself, when he was ready. Or he would blurt it out. The second one happened more, she found.

Koromon was very fun. She did wish Onii-chan would stop asking so many questions though. It wasn't a big deal. Okaa-san and Otou-san would be back. And she had a cold. Yes that was it, she had a cold. She wondered why Onii-chan was here now. Shouldn't he be where Koromon was supposed to be? This just didn't make much sense did it?

But for now it was okay she guessed. Onii-chan was home with her and it wasn't as quiet in the house anymore.

Wow. She didn't know Digimon could use the toilet. Why was Onii-chan so surprised about all of this? Hm… maybe her friend could tell her. Maybe.

"You can see them now Onii-chan?" she had asked him softly, Koromon in her arms. Of course she could. Didn't Onii-chan remember? She had always been able to see. Always.

Oh no, he broke the computer.

… Why was Onii-chan so concerned? They didn't have to go back there right? He had come back so he could stay back right? He shouldn't go back! He… He would get hurt…

She didn't know how she knew… but she knew that whoever came back, if he came back, would not be her Onii-chan.

Wait… where was he going? Onii-chan wait! Don't go! If you go it will happen! Something bad will happen! I know it so… so don't go…

Follow him. Follow him and Koromon against the monster. The glitch monster, the angry one, who didn't belong. She knew he did not, could not, possibly belong here. She knew by his skin, faded and sparkling. She knew by the sightless gaze which traced Agumon and attacked him. She knew and was frightened.

However, she wasn't as frightened of it as she was about Onii-chan. He was floating away… going away. She gripped his hand in hers, trying to follow, to  _stay_ , but… it hadn't happened.

So there she stood.

"Onii-chan…" Hikari whispered sadly. "You don't understand after all…"

No one did.


	5. Precious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Savers
> 
> Genre: Family
> 
> Characters: Relena Norstein
> 
> -Drabble. She hadn't forgotten the warmth of his hand.

She was young, but Relena Norstein has never been called naïve.

She didn't know why her father had brought her to Japan and normally she wouldn't have minded, since Onii-sama would be here today. But… today was just wrong. Father was talking to someone in the mansion study. That man was a doctor. Did that mean… she would be cured? Could they fix her? Maybe she could run places with Onii-sama. She wanted to run so far and so fast…

But that was a dream. And dreams couldn't happen that easily.

She knew that.

Onii-sama proved it. He threw himself so deep into school, studying so much she often had found him asleep at his desk. He worked himself into formulas she didn't understand and images Relena couldn't possibly grasp. Her brother was a genius but he was also her Onii-sama. She thought of him as the most important person.

Otou-sama was always quiet but today seemed even more so. There was something desperately hopeful in his quiet, like he had done wrong and was desperate to fix it. Then again, she had never known him to not feel that way. Every time he looked at her, it was always with a mix of love and shame. Relena could only guess what he was ashamed of, but she always hoped it wasn't her. Perhaps it was of Onii-sama, for he was never around when they played together. Even during mealtimes, Onii-sama would always look meek and… what was that word… subservient? She was an avid reader, but that didn't mean Relena had a very good memory. However, that word fit just right in her mind. It was as though he were beneath Otou-sama… and Obaa-sama as well.

Relena thought on that as she explored the mansion again. It wasn't that she wasn't interested in what her father was talking about. It was just that eavesdropping was… well, rude!

Obaa-sama never seemed to like anyone very much, but Relena didn't think that was personal. She had to rule the Norstein family after all and sometimes that meant being harsh. The woman had read to her once in a while. The little girl knew she had never seen that with Onii-sama. In fact Onii-sama always seemed to avoid her. Why would he do something like that…? As the little girl thought about this, the sound of helicopter blades whirred overhead and she smiled.

She would give him the biggest smile and happiest greeting ever because Relena hadn't forgotten. She hadn't forgotten the warmth of that hand under her chubby fists. It was the most important feeling in the world.

He was the precious thing in her world


	6. Shackles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Adventure/02/hint of Xros Wars (Manga canon only)
> 
> Genre: Friendship
> 
> Characters: Tailmon, Hikari, mention of Wizarmon
> 
> -"Someday, all of us will be free."

She was lucky.

It was the only way to put together the jumbled thoughts and feelings that filled her on these days, these anniversary days. She had come out lucky, patched together and whimpering with raw reality but she was alive and no longer alone.

She was lucky.

Sitting there, in her partner's arms as she silently sang a lullaby to the sleeping ghosts of August 1st, Tailmon thought sadly to herself. The human world had no scars… or rather, it had hidden them, just as the Digital World hid its own. The darkness and sadness of the worlds was bandaged over as it healed and people forgot. Many things were forgotten.

Tailmon did not want to forget.

Looking up at Hikari, who continued her lonely humming, she wondered if the young woman wanted to do the same. All these years had passed. However, people like Hikari, people who kept their hearts quiet, they were different weren't they? Just like the others, just like she had once been, they weren't free.

_Are any of us?_

She wondered if she had simply left one chain set for another, one that was warm and didn't hold her down in any way she did not want. Tailmon pondered if like  _he_  was, everyone was shackled here, bound by Vamdemon's sentiments. That idea was horrifying, unreal. There had to be some way that she could learn if that was true, some way that she could break them out.

But that way couldn't be found here… could it?

"Hikari?"

"Mm?" Her silence was deafening in its own right, the grunt soft as the fur that layered over gloved human hands. She did take pride in her personal grooming now, at least. Rose eyes rested inquisitively on her head, fingers reflexively reaching to scratch behind the cat's ears.

Tailmon paused carefully, worriedly. "If I… were to leave… what would you do?"

The young woman was quiet a moment, as if the same horrible conclusion had reached her and Tailmon at the same time. What happened if humans and Digimon were torn apart after being together for so long? Did they forget? Did they simply grow apart and live on? What was more terrifying, ghosts never resting or returning to fruitless loneliness?

Tailmon didn't know. She didn't want to.

"I'd wait for you to come back."

Hikari's words, achingly familiar in the casualness that had showed her wisdom at the tender age of eight, struck her as bullets a human's heart. "How long?"

"As long as it would take for you to come back," Hikari replied without hesitation, smile curving at the edges of her lips.

" _Why?"_ Perhaps this showed her difference from the others who only knew the life of waiting for their partners. It was always alien to her, the simplicity of accepting and anticipating, the hope that loneliness simply would vanish and that this one person was always there. Perhaps she was simply always going to have that one spot of dark doubt inside her.

"Because you would only leave if it was important to you and you would always come back." Hikari hugged her with a rather childlike earnestness. "Because you know like I do… you don't want to be alone. So I'd wait… because you waited for me too."

Tailmon smiled rather weakly at these words. "You trust me so much Hikari."

"Wizarmon did," offered the Child of Light simply. The cat laughed. It did simply all go back to him and his meddling didn't it? "You're going to try to save him aren't you?"

"He saved us."

"Mm, that he did." Hikari hummed to herself once more. "You'll meet again someday I know… maybe you just need to find him again."

"Maybe…" Tailmon agreed gently. "but not today."

"Why not?" Hikari gave her a puzzled frown, earning a laugh.

The Digimon hopped to her white paws, slowly padding to the door of the Fuji TV station. "Because your mother owes me one more meal for the road."

Her human laughed at this, the vestiges of mourning exiting her eyes. Tailmon smiled knowingly and left, giving the resting place one last glance.

_Someday, all of us will be free._


	7. Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 01
> 
> Genre: Friendship
> 
> Characters: Patamon, Takaishi Takeru
> 
> -"We'll meet again… as long as you wish for it." Episode 13

Most of the time, Patamon hated being the smallest.

The smallest was full of uncertainty. The smallest had the least strength and would slow everyone down.

The smallest couldn't protect anyone.

Right now, that was how he felt. These days: that was  _always_ how he felt. Takeru was small, just like him and not that strong just like him. They were friends and… Patamon had been waiting for so long for him. He didn't want to lose him now! He had to keep him safe no matter what!

Yet… nothing.

The others were evolving all over the place! Just look at them! They were so strong! Takeru's onii-chan… what was he called again… he made Gabumon so… so cool! Shy, gentle Gabumon was able to fight and help his partner while Patamon was…

Nothing but air.

 _Why can't I protect him?_ Worse, he was making him worry… Patamon whimpered as quietly as he dared, making sure Takeru wasn't looking, making sure no one could see him trembling as the boat sailed on.  _Infinity Mountain… the final battle is over there…_  Takeru could go home after this… right? Was it so bad to make sure he got there?

Earnestly he flapped his wings after them, to make at least a show of being strong. He was going to fight… which Takeru didn't like. He was probably going to get hurt, which he knew would make the boy cry. But would he be able to protect him? Maybe that wasn't important to everyone else, but that was something he  _had_ to do.

No matter what it would take.

…

_What's it like to evolve?_

While the humans had panicked and wondered, had walked and cried out, he had asked this of his friends. It was power they said, love. It was anger at something being wrong. It was watching the ones they loved suffer and being able to stop it. It was all these different things. It was scary, it was safe. He could fight. He could win.

They had all been right. They had all been wrong.

That sense of failure at the beginning… all of them had that. That strong surge of love for their partners… it was there too.

What they were wrong about… was the knowledge.

He suddenly, as his body twisted and turned inside the glowing light, power making blood and fingers and such whirling energy, was aware. There was no other way to explain it. He was more than Patamon, he was more than a simple Digimon. He was alive, a warrior. He had a task to do. And as Angemon, he would do it.

He would stop Devimon. He would protect Takeru.

Even if it meant breaking his promise.

But it wouldn't break it would it?

They would meet again; they were always friends.

He wasn't scared to die. Because Devimon was joining him. Angemon wasn't scared watching his fist make a hole that tore the darkness apart. He wasn't scared that his feathers were fading away and he was turning into the sunrise.

Dying was just a longer sleep that's all.

"We'll meet again… as long as you wish for it."

He was so proud. He had protected Takeru. What was more… when he woke up again, the first thing he would see again wasn't the others and the Digivices. The first thing he would see was more important than anything else.

It was Takeru and he would be able to protect him over and over again.

Forever.


	8. Soft

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Savers
> 
> Genre: Family/Friendship
> 
> Characters: Masaru, Main Cast
> 
> -He never thought he would miss anything. Drabble

Punch.

He really had to punch everything.

The action took the homesickness away. The action took the loneliness away.

The fight took the darkness away.

Could he keep going?

It was a question he had never asked himself in the beginning. There were originally just days, days with Agumon, spent fighting, spent wondering, spent understanding. Then they became weeks. Slowly, they evolved into months.

Eventually, he stopped keeping track. The numbers went too high for him. What was more, it started to matter less and less. All those days eventually only led to one reality: he had been gone a very long time.

His hair was getting too long; he realized this at one point. Agumon had offered to burn some off or clip it with his claws. He really wondered where the guy got such stupid ideas. Though he was one to talk about stupid. Eventually he had just left it, resigning to the punk, rockstar vibe. It wasn't like one of the others could see it and laugh at him. They wouldn't laugh. They didn't laugh at things like that, not even Chika. He likely deserved it though…

Because sitting here now, on a rocky cliff that blew the sea breeze into his face and Agumon chasing futilely after a Botamon who was way too close to the edge, he realized that he had been rather stupid.

Masaru wouldn't regret his decision. Leaving Agumon behind… sounded about as fun as a lobotomy. But… there was still no guarantee he could go back. As much as he enjoyed it here, being home once in a great while would be nice, real nice. Seeing his friends…

The fighter sighed. He was going soft.

But was that so bad? 


	9. Tea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 02
> 
> Genre: Family
> 
> Characters: Hida Fumiko, Hida Hiroki, Hida Iori (in passing)
> 
> -Pre 02. "He's a good boy Hiroki."

Another day of work, another day of household tasks.

When the men were around, there was hardly any time. Even with one less here…

Well, that wasn't entirely true was it now?

She carefully stitched her son's backpack, listening to his quiet footfalls obediently tread to the bathroom for his evening ritual of cleanliness. Fumiko smiled wanly. Her serious child. Her good child.

Her son who was growing up too fast for her. She loved him. Her heart was in her mouth every day he left her side.

Was that true of all mothers?

It was a question she pondered daily of working parents, of Motomiya-san's rather playful favoritism and Inoue's seemingly carefree entrepreneur manner. They loved their children and treated them differently. Her one sent shivers down her spine on an hourly basis. Fumiko couldn't imagine two, let alone four. She didn't think she could keep track of another mouth, another strong face and brave heart. She only had two men left in her life. Risking another, even for the possibility of having a little girl, was too much, too soon.

She would never have another, she knew. And that, despite the sorrowful reason for this decision, never disheartened her. Iori would have been good with the child. He would have been befuddled, curious, but patient. He was quite patient, her son. Her fear was that he was too stern. For all of his justice and his firm steps on the path of good and right, he was too stiff, too unyielding. No matter how Father worked with him, no matter how much the other path glimmered and held other ideas, he stuck as only children could.

 _He will always follow your words, to not waste, to treasure all, and to stop those who do otherwise._ She knew this very well, deep in her old, old heart. He had time yet, her Iori. Though his father's had ended too soon, he had time to learn. He had time to grow.

"He's a good boy Hiroki," she stated gently to the picture frame as the shower faucet squeaked. "A rigid boy, a right-minded boy who can't see too far yet, but we made a good boy you and I. Leave it to me and Father… and his friends too and their different mothers and fathers… to make him a great man." 


	10. Color

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Frontier
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Himi Tomoki
> 
> -Ice has no color just like fear has no face.

He was frightened of everything.

At the beginning, anyone would be. Now, though… now things had changed. He sat upright in his class chair, he volunteered. Now he was a force to be reckoned with.

"Dynasmon isn't as scary as Gym class huh?" Katsuharu would joke at him when he easily vaulted over the pole. He would just shrug, smile, and walk right on. It wasn't scary anymore. Not much really was. Nothing physical anyway. He was a little kid but… he wasn't anymore. Anyone who looked at him now knew that.

In fact, he was actually kind of scary himself.

If people made a ruckus, he would stop them. There wouldn't be much force involved. There would just be a calm slam of his backpack on his desk and he would just smile at them and step in the way. It didn't take much from him. He didn't want to get too involved. People had to stand up for themselves or have friends stand up with them.

_But what if they have no friends?_

Then he would become their friend. It was just that simple, at least to him. Takuya-onii-chan showed him simplicity. Winter was just that simple too. It fell and froze everything, things died and new ones sprouted up. Ice was simple; it was just solid water. Just like him.

He used to be afraid but now he wasn't. Tomoki didn't see a point of talking about why. It was just the way things were. He had to take care of himself anyway. Onii-chan was right; his parents wouldn't be around forever. And neither would he.

"You've gotta be braver than that," he told the victims quietly. He never showed contempt or desperation, but he wasn't kind either. Indifference, something Kouji-san showed him. He was their friend, but as Junpei-san learned, you couldn't force them to like you or understand you. "They're going to keep beating you down because you're different." Izumi-san had taught him how to be who you are without worrying about something like that.

"How do you know?" they would always, inevitably ask.

And he would smile Kouichi's kind yet chilled smile and say, "Because that's what people do."

Tomoki wondered deep down if he would ever color himself in instead of with everyone else's rainbow. The prospect didn't scare him; it just made him wonder.

Maybe that was dangerous thinking. Maybe it wasn't.

He'd understand it all eventually though.


	11. Good riddance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 02
> 
> Genre: General/Angst
> 
> Characters: Yagami Hikari, Vamdemon, Tailmon
> 
> -Everything had to come to an end sometime.

Hikari would never admit it aloud, but she enjoyed watching him die.

The pain never was enjoyable of course, his screaming horrifying.

But it was good to know he was  _gone_. It was good to be able to see and be sure. It was good to see and be without fear that they were wrong, that she would have to hide, that more people would have to die to protect her, that Tailmon would be suffering for her.

Hikari would never say how satisfying it was to know that murderer was gone.

She wasn't allowed to have thoughts like that on the outside.

In truth she wasn't really allowed to have any real thoughts. She was a nice girl, twas true. That didn't mean she couldn't have dark thoughts. In truth she probably had them more often than other people, except perhaps Ken-kun. She was a weak girl, no matter how much she worked at it. She was a sick girl, no matter how healthily she ate and how much she ran. She was no Miyako-san or Daisuke-kun. She was no Takeru-kun and his hopeful strength.

She was just a tiny light in a cage of darkness. And it frightened her sometimes, how alone she was.

Even that dark ocean left her alone now.

"You can't let it bother you Hikari," her partner had said one day. "They'll need you again."

"I know that," she had replied, looking at her balefully, almost mistrusting. She would leave and come back, Hikari knew. They all always did, but that didn't make it any less lonely.

Everything had to come to an end sometime. She just wished the good could last a little bit longer.

Either way, she was still glad that monster was dead. No matter who asked and why, that would always make her happy.


	12. Erratic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 02
> 
> Genre: Friendship/Humor
> 
> Characters: Motomiya Daisuke, Ichijouji Ken
> 
> -Sometimes you had a bad day. Of course, this made him very grateful he had a Jogress partner.

Daisuke hated Mondays.

They were the epitome of all depression. Not even Hikari-chan's kind smile could alleviate (damn, he knew that thesaurus came in handy) the pure onslaught of three tests, two lectures, and to top it all off, Chibimon ate his Oreos, the little pig.

Also it was raining, and practice was canceled. God, he was tempted to go to the Digital World and bash something in the head. Shoot he would make some progress there, unlike his math class. What was the point of math class anyway? It wasn't like home ec, where cooking happened. He was good at cooking. Unlike half the school, except maybe  _Takeru_ , he knew how to make noodles from scratch. Huh, maybe he would show Hikari-chan how to do it. That would be a fun date. She probably wouldn't mind learning about one of the recipes he tried. Or Takeru had already taught her…

Gah! Damn it! Today  _really_ sucked.

Chibimon squirmed in his bag, causing Daisuke to groan and shove him back. "Come on Chibimon you can't show off yet!"

"But Daisuke~!"

"No way, you  _smell_ when you get wet!"

"Not as bad as your feet!" The two continued to bicker, half in jest and half in irritation. If they didn't grate on each other's nerves once in a while, they wouldn't be as awesome as they were. Right? Right?

"Ah… Daisuke-kun?" The gogglehead jumped, turning to see a familiar face under a dark umbrella. He instantly smiled and frowned in the same gesture.

"Ken~" he yelped, diving gratefully under the umbrella. "What are you doing here man? Did Miyako pester you to drop by or something?"  _Hope she wouldn't, he's on the other side of the freaking river._ He would box her ears if she had, friends or not. This was looking to be a bad storm, man, like power outage bad.

The blue-haired teen shook his head, his now-familiar soft gaze flickering in and out of his hair. "No… I just got a feeling is all."

Daisuke raised an eyebrow. "A feeling huh? Of what?" Daisuke was good at following his gut at crunch time, but when it was ordinary stuff, he fumbled around. Like the first time you played a game. Rarely were you awesome at it. But you figured it out. You always figured it out.

Daisuke was still trying to do that. But that was why he and Ken were partners.

People often though he should have worked with Takeru but they both cringed at the idea. Iori was never going to work with Ken like that no way, no how. There was something that complimented Jogress partners. No one knew what it was, not even Daisuke. But he thought he could feel it. There was a completion to it, a puzzle piece clicking and staying. You would always be needed by this other person and you would always need them. Symbiotic… was that the kind of thing it was?

So when Ken had a feeling, he had to wonder what on the outside. But on the inside, he thought he had a clue. Ken knew something was up with him. So without much consideration for his own inconvenience or even his parents, he had hopped on a train here and come all the way out in the rain to find his friend. That took a lot. That took kindness.

His pal was nothing if not that at least.

So as Ken opened his mouth to attempt an explanation, Daisuke waved him off with a grin. "Nah never mind man. Let's go play some Street Fighter or something. I wanna take out some aggression." Ken grimaced playfully and nodded, striding ahead. "I was kidding Ken! Kidding!" Chibimon giggled. "Shut up Chibimon!"

"Never!"


	13. Monster

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Savers
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Akihiko Kurata
> 
> -They simply did not grasp him, just like everyone else.

These children… they called him coward. They called him that with their brainwashed brains and foolish mouths. What fools had raised this generation? Did they know nothing of these creatures? These Digimon?

Perhaps you could tame them, control them for mere moments. However, the leashes would be burned off eventually and when they were, no gun or knife or mere fist could stop them. He knew this.

Hence his methods.

Call them cruel if you desire children. Call them horrific and distasteful… but they completed his goals same as theirs and eliminated threats at the same time. Two birds with one stone. Two pairs of ripped off wings… it was actually almost a beautiful thought. A shame Digimon could not bleed… or could they? They all died too quickly for him to know.

It was rightly so they did. Justice brought swift kills, good, swift kills.

He was justice, wasn't he? Yes… he was fit for this. Not like that fool who vanished to be forgotten, that Daimon fool. He would be the hero, he would save the human race from the Digimon… and even from their weak selves. No one would accept that he knew, because he was the mere nerd to be kicked, the child everyone stomped on. However, that would change. If they would shove their shows of power in his face, then would it not be all right for him to do the same to them?

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

He laughed at the man who said those words. Oh you silly inept preacher, the world already was.


	14. Ink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 02
> 
> Genre: Friendship
> 
> Characters: Takaishi Takeru, Patamon, Ichijouji Ken, mentions of Hikari and Tailmon
> 
> -It's always an uphill battle, what matters most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy! This could be a companion to story number six Shackles. It doesn't have to be, but you can take it that way. :)

14\. Ink

"Aw… darn it."

The printer sputtered at him in pathetic desperation before simply halting. Takeru let out a sad little sigh and went to inspect the poor machine. For a moment, the blond frowned, looking pensively at the papers that had managed to make it out of the mangled disaster zone of his old technology.  _Note to self: graduate from your mom's old computer._ He flinched at the running lines of drying black and sighed.

"Well that's a mess… at least I wasn't using a typewriter." Takeru shook his straw-blonde head as Patamon flapped his wings into the room.

"Takeru what happened?" The little Digimon saw the broken piece of machinery and frowned, big blue eyes widening at the implications. "Oh… darn it. And it was all done right?" His human sighed wistfully, patting the Child on the head as he went to his computer.

Slowly the blond nodded. "Yeah… "The Wizard's Familiar". I was going to send it in today… but if I can't print it it's pointless!" The high school student banged his head on his desk with a wince.

Patamon flinched and thought to himself. "Maybe you can ask Hikari-chan to print it!"

"But they'll see it," protested the teenager. "This is… supposed to be their birthday present…" His expression sank slowly, looking worried. "And I know Daisuke-kun can't touch his parent's electronics with a ten foot pole."

Patamon giggled. "He'd break them  _and_ the pole." Takeru chuckled his agreement. Normally, he would ask Iori-kun or Miyako-san, but Miyako was grounded from the computer for about a month for sneaking her brother's magazines into the shredder and failing chemistry again… and Iori was out of town for some family event. This of course left only one person to ask, but it seemed like an awful inconvenience for him… plus they didn't really talk much even now…

"You're gonna ask Ken, ain'tcha?"

Patamon had one of those characteristic innocent grins on his face, one that made him look utterly ridiculous in retrospect. He was "reading his mind" again. Few Digimon could read minds. His partner wasn't one of them. Takeru smiled and took his partner from the air, petting him. "I don't really want to bother him…" he admitted.

The little Digimon waved him off. "Like Ken would be bothered!" Squirming free, he flew to hover by the phone. "Come on, call him!"

Takeru hesitated before shaking his head with a rueful smile. "All right, all right…"  _Maybe he can find some mistakes too… I want this to be perfect… for both of them._ That day had been important to everyone and those lives were always at the forefront of their minds whether they admitted it or not. The blonde picked up the phone and dialed. As his foot tapped nervously, a part of him remembered something about the Kaiser, something they had never thought to matter.  _Ken never killed anyone._ He had hurt many lives as the Kaiser, and that alone was a horrible thing… but he had never murdered anyone until after those days.

 _Just like us,_ he thought with a sour taste building in his mouth.  _We didn't kill until we had to._ The thought made Takeru nervous and he shut it out as the familiar quiet voice entered the speaker. "Ta-Takeru-san?" His voice was rather breathless. "I was… in the other room… my apologies…"

"Eh? N-No, don't worry… I just have a favor to ask." Yes because the direct approach always worked Takaishi…

"What is it?" The other's voice sounded curious, maybe hesitant. After all he usually asked Hikari-chan or one of the others first. Takeru realized how this must look and winced.

"I just… well I… I don't really want the others to see this yet… would you read my story over? It's a gift for Hikari-chan and…"  _I don't want to have ruined that for her…_

They had seen a lot of deaths in that adventure…but somehow that one had been different. That had been the beginning. Like Wormmon's death had been Ken's… and Patamon had been his.

For Hikari, that had been the moment she had truly become a Chosen Child. Even if it was only in words, Takeru wanted to honor that.

"… Okay."

Takeru started, torn from his thoughts. "Reh-really?" Patamon laughed and he glowered at the little 'mon, who merely covered his mouth with paws, still laughing.

"Sure. I… don't mind at all." Ken suddenly paused and the blond could hear him speaking in the background. It must have been to Wormmon. Chosen always had a different tone when talking to their partners. He had seen it with every single one he knew and had caught himself with the same habit. There was this extra fondness in each expression and word. It probably made everyone jealous. When Ken returned, he was chuckling gently. "Okaa-san is making snacks."

Takeru groaned and sighed, shaking his head. "She- She didn't have to." He wondered why most mothers, barring his own, were obsessed with shoving food down people's throats. It was probably part of being a good host, he supposed. He would have to remember that when he moved out.

Ken laughed sheepishly. "I know but Mama can be rather… zealous with my friends."

"Hey, she's good at it," Takeru pointed out with a laugh of his own, the tension in his shoulders fading. "So I'll head over there in a few minutes? My printer broke so…"

"Sure…. Takeru-san?"

"Yeah?" He paused in the act of putting his hat on, leaving Patamon to get his D-3.

Ken didn't speak immediately, struggling to put to words his own emotions. Then he breathed out, managing to find just the right phrasing. "Let's help people understand those days."

There were a few moments of silence before Takeru grinned, despite knowing the other could not see it. "Definitely."

After all, that was why he wrote what he wrote.


	15. Emblem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Xros Wars (Part 1)
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Amano Nene
> 
> \- Don't ever look back at your shadow.

15\. Emblem

The emblem had been his doing.

She hadn't cared much at the time, nor did she know how he made it. She knew the demon was an egotistical bastard and as such disregarded it as fancying his own shadow. If it kept him in line, the girl had no reason to complain.

The name however, was a source of utter amusement.

Nene was no romantic. She would fall to the darkness and it wouldn't be anything particularly grand or noble. The shadows wouldn't eat her; she wouldn't fall and become this pitiable laugh of a person who scrounged on the ground for scraps of a victory. There was no fear of being used: pawns know they are pawns the second they take their place on the board. It wasn't as though they were to have delusions of grandeur on their featureless selves.

Yet when someone made a comment that she read those silly little novels, Nene had laughed and scoffed at the same time, shaking her head. It was supposed to be symbolic. It was supposed to be grey. There was no grey romance, everyone flowered it with colors and whites and nothing dark or scary because even the most frightening things could do something rather wonderful according to every poorly written romance novel.

War was like a harsher love, she supposed. One with bullets and sometimes less blood.

In her case it would be more. She would paint the world red if she could protect her family. Even if she was hated for that, loathed for stepping on to the field and ruining the plans, she could not care less.

 _Yuu…_ Nene thought quietly.  _As long as I get you home… this world can burn._


	16. Echo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: NEXT
> 
> Genre: Friendship
> 
> Characters: Kahara Shou
> 
> -"I was afraid of getting hurt." They all were.

It was the funny thing about being in the dark. People said you went blind. They were wrong. Instead voices went away, fading into the dark until only syllables reached the eardrums.

Even dreams did that sort of thing. He had wanted to protect the Digimon… yet here he was, murdering them. It was all right though, they would come back. They would come back in a free world, cleansed of humans, even those like him.

He had no right to stay and no matter how much it hurt Peckmon, he would go. He was a human, and a human tainted by darkness, no less. Shou had decided that from the beginning.

It didn't even matter that he was brainwashed.

Who wanted to think when it was dark and cold anyway?

"Shou! Open your eyes!"

No… I don't need family. I don't need friends either. I can go on by myself. Everyone has already abandoned me… and will continue to. That's okay. Even if Peckmon leaves… I will be okay… As long as Norn smiles at me again before the end, I will be okay.

Eventually though… he was pulled back into the light. He was pulled back by tears… and feelings… and his friends. It was painful… and tiring. So… so tiring…

No matter how hard he tried… someone like him didn't belong anywhere!

"There's no such thing as a human without darkness! You're just… you're just too diligent… so you ended up like this."

Eh?

For a moment, he thought he could see… crying. Someone was crying. Don't cry, not for him. Don't cry for him, this petty little person who was jealous of your brightness.

Ah… he was tired now… so… so… tired….


	17. Starve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Xros Wars (Part 2)
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Kudo Taiki
> 
> -They could have left him there.

He would never admit how frightened he was.

He could never admit how much he needed everyone by his side. If he had been alone… it wouldn't have mattered. Nothing would have mattered.

Once he had opened his mouth and almost admitted the truth. However he lied. He was such a liar, such a horrible person. He was afraid. If he spoke, they would leave. If he spoke they would run.

He needed them.

They didn't know that.

Once he had been alone. Once he had been helping others by himself, always ending up in the infirmary. Then Akari had come along, huffily pulling him back up and understanding. That was what he liked about Akari. She didn't ask odd questions or wonder why. She knew and silently pulled him back up. She gave him the warmth he craved… without any confusion.

He needed that. It frightened him sometimes, how much he needed that. It was horrifying to realize how selfish he was.

 _Don't cry about it,_  he reminded himself.

He did not, not until that day. He was absolutely sure at that moment that he was alone for good and that it was okay. That meant it was okay to cry, to be weak.

Of course, he hadn't even had that. Could he be grateful for that? Maybe. He didn't want to be. He wanted to scream and cry and kick them all. He wanted to be honest.

Then again… look where honesty had gotten anyone.

This world made him sad. It had been defended by someone with such a weak heart. Then again…

He smiled wryly. Xros Heart was only strong because they were all together. 


	18. Born

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 01
> 
> Genre: General/Friendship
> 
> Characters: Takaishi Takeru, Yagami Hikari
> 
> -Eggs were life too.

Hikari was so nice.

Takeru had known that pretty easily of course, since she was Taichi-san's sister and he was, though rather loud and a bit careless, could be incredibly kind too. He hadn't brought the team together by force after all. He was a friend, a good guy.

So he wasn't surprised that she was sitting there with the egg, giggling as the baby on her shoulder blew bubbles in her face. Her tiny face, like his, had dark circles around her eyes, dark circles and shaking arms. He hadn't noticed before, but she was tired too. She rubbed the egg kindly, like his mama had rubbed her belly according to Onii-chan. She seemed happy, at least a little.

Seemed that way was key, he figured, when she looked up at him. Tailmon's tail swished as she spoke and despite himself Takeru held one of Patamon's hands nervously. Tailmon was Hikari-chan's precious partner, but she had also been a killing machine. It was easy for him to still be a bit scared. Hikari-chan likely didn't see that, but Hikari-chan had earned a whole other type of fear. They had had a lull of peace but Hikari-chan had not. He felt kind of bad for her.

"Takeru-kun?" Her high voice clipped with an innocence that, now that he thought about it, hurt a little.

"Huh?" he grunted, as much as his eight-year-old boy voice could grunt.

Hikari-chan smiled at him, so profoundly pleased at being answered, continued on blissfully unaware of his thoughts. "Do you think maybe Wizarmon could hatch from one of these eggs?" She continued to rub the one in her arms, even as Tailmon's blue gaze locked on his. It was admonishing, he realized, rather like his Onii-chan's when he was just angry enough to scold him. It was also warm and that made his small fingers slacken on Patamon's paw.

He hadn't thought about it in truth.  _Patamon_ had come back, but that was Patamon. He was special; he was Takeru's. He was Takeru's precious friend. Wizarmon had been Tailmon's friend, Hikari's friend, but it wasn't the same. Partners weren't the same. However… that didn't mean it couldn't happen. There was no way to say either way, especially not with Hikari-chan. She had done some incredible things after all, even though she was so weak.

Takeru wondered if his Onii-chan or Taichi-san had any better of an idea but dismissed it. The older kids would probably like to Hikari-chan, thinking it was easier. That wasn't right. She was… she was definitely stronger than that. Mugendramon hadn't scared her and Vamdemon hadn't either. That was brave for her. He couldn't have borne it if it had been his brother or Patamon. If there was a chance, he would wonder, no matter what.

"Takeru-kun?" she repeated softly, worried.

"Um," Takeru jumped. "I-I dunno," he admitted, watching for her face to fall. It didn't, but her rosy eyes were gently disappointed. "I bet it could though," he added after a moment. "I really dunno but… we can believe… and we can try right? Hope!"

"Everyone's hopes are your hopes," Hikari murmured. "And your hopes are everyone's." She smiled rather gently. "Right?" Befuddled by even his own words, the boy nodded. Hikari smiled. "Thank you Takeru-kun. I'll keep the light bright too."

Takeru smiled and for a second, he felt really happy. Someone needed his help, his answers. It was… it was actually kinda cool. Maybe he could be like his Onii-chan someday.


	19. Loved

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Xros Wars
> 
> Genre: Friendship
> 
> Characters: Generals, Kiriha-centric
> 
> -"I pretty much consider your soft-heartedness in my calculations anyway." He was actually more grateful for it than the prideful teen would ever admit.

He knew the idiot would return. It was almost as painfully obvious as the fact that Nene would keep to herself. He just didn't know how long he could hold out for.

The days were hard.

Conquering safe territories was one thing. Fighting on the defensive was another and quite frankly, one he despised. No wonder he hated it so much: he was terrible at it.

He just… he couldn't turn things around.

Nene wasn't much help either. In fact, they rarely ever crossed paths, not since that accident in the tunnels. His face flushed at the thought of it. He had never thought a girl would get so close to him, or lack the modesty to be truly offended by his accidental wandering eyes.

She had, of course, only laughed and said, "What do either of us have worth displaying anyway?" At his reply, not stuttered mind you, she had laughed again. "It's you Kiriha-kun. What do I have to worry about?"

He would never understand her, that odd woman. He could not understand her blind devotion to that idiot either. She didn't just believe he would come back. She knew it intrinsically. It was rather disgusting to be honest, how loyal she was.

He wasn't coming back.

If Kiriha was Taiki, he wouldn't come back, even if there was a way. He had been lucky enough to get out before all of this mess. He would have stayed out, even with Shoutmon stranded there. Then again, he wasn't Taiki, who would come back. He was just that stupid. He was just that soft-hearted.

Damn it, when did he start believing?

Maybe it was how passionate he had been in the face of Kiriha's own strength. Maybe it was when he had defeated Lillithmon. Or it was his potential. He could Xros five Digimon on his own.

Gah!

It wasn't going to happen. Taiki was not going to return. He and Nene would be alone. It was what he wanted anyway. He could be free to create the world he desired! He would be able to have Nene complete her goal and leave his perfect world, his world for the strong.

Yet…

Damn it!

Why? Why did he want to believe in such soft-heartedness? Why did he want to believe in that kindness?

Did it actually mean something to him? Did Kiriha actually want to trust that fool who had refused his offer? Someone that stupid deserved what he got.

Didn't he?


	20. Push

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Hunters
> 
> Genre: Friendship/Angst
> 
> Characters: Amano Yuu, Akashi Tagiru, Kudo Taiki
> 
> -There was something considerably wrong about this.

Yuu could freely say that nine times out of ten; he wanted to punch the other Hunters into the nearest cement wall and bury them in their own teeth. Only years of self-control and the memory of Taiki-san punching him in the face prevented him from acting out on it. It was hard. All of them were idiots, even the smart ones. He still wasn't sure how that was possible.

"Yuu, take it easy on them. This isn't the same."

Taiki-san was constantly commenting that. He never lost his own temper on them. Yuu knew he  _wanted_ to of course. He saw that twitch of the mouth that his sempai got when the idea of Hunting simply became almost too ridiculous and suspicious to take remotely seriously. How in the heck he kept his thoughts to himself was anybody's guess. How Yuu hadn't lost his mind was, in his opinion, a bigger question.

He glanced at Tagiru, watching him shoot hoops. The ball bounced off the clear backboard. Yuu grimaced, noise clanging irritably in his ears.  _Your arm is curled the wrong way,_  he thought irritably. That issue always grinded on him when the two of them did anything together because Tagiru's balance of strength was like a one-legged stool. It was ridiculous. He marched over, mentally wallowing in the irritation in his mind. "You're going to keep missing if you do that." It came out harsher than even he intended. "Put more strength into your lower arm. Otherwise, it's not going to spin properly." He kept his eyes firmly trained on the ball and Tagiru's grip, ignoring the steam rising from the other's ears.

"I got it, I got it," grumbled the brunette, cheeks red with distaste. "Stop mocking me already."

"Then do it right, so I don't have to  _explain_ it to you." Yuu turned away at this, walking away to go sit by Taiki-san, who was dozing on the basketball bench. Tagiru, unfortunately, was not done yet.

He threw the ball towards Yuu's head, it almost smacking Taiki in the face. "What the hell is your problem with me? I've got just as much skill as you do!"

Yuu snorted, even as his sempai slit open one eye in warning. "Then why are you still not getting a point, huh?" He ignored Taiki-san, glowering hotly at Tagiru. It was just so easy to get mad at him. He was a moron, reckless, insensitive even. Even on the days the guy did something good, he did it for himself alone. And yet… and yet…

He wanted to surpass their sempai of all people. Yuu could not accept that. He would not. It was improbable, illogical.

It also wasn't fair.

Tagiru did not know any of these thoughts, so when he opened his mouth to counter Yuu's own derision, the blond ignored him, turning away. "Taiki-san, I'm heading home."

"Don't you run away from me!" The growl was almost dog-like and Yuu struggled not to turn and lash out at the other.

Instead he laughed. He noted it was that old laugh, the laugh that meant he had something  _fun_ up his sleeve. "What am I running away from? Just because I'm sick of you doesn't mean that-"

"Stop, both of you." He could feel their movements in unison, even as Taiki yawned slowly. "You're both going to start hurting each other in a minute. I'll cancel today's game." Opening one eye again, he peered at both of them casually. "Go home and cool your heads, okay?" Without hesitation, Yuu nodded and turned away,

Tagiru however, was plenty unhappy with this. "But Taiki-san-" he began.

"You heard him Tagiru," Yuu muttered. "Go home." Without waiting, he grabbed his Xros Loader from the bench and strode away.

Even though he could almost smell Taiki-san's disappointment, he really didn't care. Tagiru pushed him and it just wouldn't be right if he didn't push back.


	21. Belong

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Hunters
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Akashi Tagiru, Amano Yuu, Kudou Taiki
> 
> -What did it take to stand there? Companion to Push, takes place before Hunters.

There was something special about that guy.

What guy? That one. The brunette talking to the blond. He was just standing there, yet Tagiru had the eyes. He had a knack of just knowing someone special was around. That guy radiated special too. It was like sunlight or something equally as poetic. He grinned to himself from where he sat, watching the two practice passing a basketball back and forth. Then, very abruptly mind you, the blonde threw the ball roughly toward the other's chest. He looked like he was trying to hurt him.

Tagiru rose to his feet, but to no avail as the brunette caught it easily and spun the ball on one finger. He didn't even seem surprised, or upset. Wow, he was awesome.

What could he do now… to talk to the guy?

"Hey, what are you staring at?"

The blond was looking at him. His expression to Tagiru was quickly defined as:  _like I give a crap._  He stood in front of the brunette, almost like a guard dog. Tagiru proceeded to fix his most intimidating glower on the blond. You did not just get in his way. Nuh-uh. For someone who was going to be the best of the best, it was just not cool. He practically pouted his dismay, only for the other to ignore him! Ignore him! The brunette glanced at Tagiru, who tried not to burst with pride. Step one: being noticed. Complete!

He earned a polite smile. "Something wrong?" called the other. The blond scowled, stepping closer to Tagiru. Tagiru himself was currently struck speechless. Then he recovered himself, because no awesome dude could be silent for long.

"That move… was so  _awesome!"_  He practically shouted this across the field, causing the blond to snort. "Shut up!" Tagiru barked at him with a glower. "It  _was_ cool. You were gonna hurt him and-"

"I was  _not,_ " retorted the blond. "As if Taiki-san could be harmed by a  _basketball."_

"Yuu," Taiki said to his friend. He grinned at Tagiru, one of those loose little smirks that was too modest to be cocky. "Wanna play?" Yuu stared at him, daring Tagiru to take one step closer.

To be honest, he didn't have to. Stare at him anyway. Tagiru knew better than to move. He knew that guy was some other level of awesome. He was someone better than him and, well, probably better than everybody. He was gonna get there though. He had to. Tagiru didn't know why, but he absolutely had to reach that guy Taiki.

He was some kinda star. Tagiru could just feel it.


	22. Twisted

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Hunters
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Quartzmon
> 
> \- He was cold… and hungry. Drabble.

There weren't words in his world.

There was just this burning, a… coiling in his body. It ached; it made his whole body ache.

Why?

Why was he here, if this world hated him? Why did this world starve him?

What had he done?

Did he deserve this? He wondered… and as he wondered, his hunger grew.

He wondered what the world tasted like. He wondered how it would feel if it were his.

The coiling burned again, but it wasn't bad this time. It was relieved. He had no answers, but… he had an idea. And the world had a taste, he was sure of it. If he ate the world, he would know everything. And the pain would go away.

He just knew it.


	23. Contagious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 02
> 
> Genre: Friendship
> 
> Characters: Ichijouji Ken, 02 cast
> 
> -It was just… so much fun. Episode 38 snippet.

He couldn't help it. He couldn't stop laughing.

It was so warm in his room. There were so many here. He couldn't explain his own smile. He couldn't explain his own laughter.

"Ken… did you laugh?"

It was easy to be embarrassed about. But… it wasn't a burning kind. Ken felt his cheeks turn pink. The euphoria didn't fade in the slightest. In fact, everyone's eyes made the feeling bounce up further.

He wondered what his mother felt right now. Was she happy? Was she the happiest she had ever been?

Was Osamu-nii-san happy for him?

"Hey Ken, it's your turn."

He smiled at Takeru and took a card.

He'd like to think he was.


	24. Breakable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Savers
> 
> Genre: General/Family
> 
> Characters: Noguchi Ikuto
> 
> -Mamas weren't supposed to go away like that.

He had been happy.

The forest… had been his world.

It had been all he had ever needed, all he had ever wanted.

That is, until today.

The world had begun burning. It was burning like a Meramon's skin. There were voices, footsteps. He was running. Everyone was running.

Everyone was vanishing too.

He wished his legs weren't so tiny. Falcomon was practically forever away from him.

Why was he so weak? Was it because he was scared? He would never be scared again if he could go just a tiny bit faster. "Mama!" he wailed. The flames only roared right back at him. She would be bad in this heat. She was all snow, all coldness and a warm soul. That was what Falcomon said. Ikuto had never quite understood it. Mama could die in this forest, of that much, he was absolutely sure.

They had to leave it and go… somewhere. Anywhere.

Just away.

"Mama won't go away," he tried to tell himself. "Mama is strong. Mama is kind. She won't leave me."

They weren't supposed to do that.

"Ikuto!"

Her voice. Her voice was warm, but it was scared. It was, it was different somehow.

"Mama," he called. He called to her.

"Run away!" Why would he do something like that? He wanted to be with her. "Run Ikuto, Falcomon!" No, he had to see her. He had to protect her. Because Mama loved him.

She wasn't going to go away, not now. Not ever. They were going to be together forever.

They had to be.


	25. Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Tamers
> 
> Genre: Angst/General
> 
> Characters: Katou Juri
> 
> -Her heart wasn't roaring anymore. 100 words

Silence screamed like nails, like claws through chests.

It took her breath away. It took her cries away.

Silence took everyone from her.

First it was mother, lying on that bed. Then it was Father, who hid his eyes when his new wife was in the room. Now it was… Now it was Leomon.

Leomon and fighting and violence meant everyone was going to be taken away.

Why?

Why couldn't she scream any louder? Why wouldn't they stop? Nobody was looking at her and they were all going to die.

"Perhaps this was… destiny…"

Then this was the wrong destiny.


	26. Odds and Ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Hunters
> 
> Genre: Friendship
> 
> Characters: Amano Yuu, Akashi Tagiru, Kudo Taiki
> 
> \- There was something considerably soothing about how different they were.

Taiki knew his time when it came.

He was not a person to fuss on what he couldn't do. He wasn't a Hunter, and he knew that. He was a murderer, and he knew that too.

So he let the others play their game. He wanted it to remain a game. He wanted his friends to play and play as much as children should. It was too late for him.

For Yuu and Tagiru, it was only the beginning.

Yuu argued with him about that. For ages, he argued. Taiki didn't budge. He was more stubborn than any of the others when he put his foot down. Yuu didn't understand the difference between them was more than Taiki was a soft-hearted boy who had a loud-mouthed partner. It was more than strength.

Taiki accepted what he was. He knew Yuu couldn't do that quite yet.

As for Tagiru… well, he was too stubborn for his own good. Even if Taiki had taken his Xros Loader, he would have found a way to use it. Yuu would be fine with Tagiru, no matter what happened.

Taiki already knew… that people like him were meant to disappear someday into the crowd.

That made him rather happy.

 


	27. Cards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Tamers
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Li Xiaochun
> 
> \- She could do this. Drabble

That Onii-chan said she was strong. Lopmon… he was also strong. He just needed to go out there… and prove it.

Jen-nii-chan wouldn't allow it. She was a baby to him, and so he wouldn't let her do anything. She supposed she could understand this. Jen was always talking of the painfulness of fighting, of how he didn't want her to get hurt. Yet he was out there… and he was fighting too. He was out there doing something… and leaving her here. That really just wasn't nice.

She knew it wasn't a game now. Her papa was scared and mama was crying more these days than she used to. Xiaochun had watched her mother cry and almost pull her apart. However, she wasn't scared. She didn't have to be scared. She had Lopmon… and she had Jen-nii-chan. To her, that was more than enough. She could be happy with those things. She could be strong with those things.

Jen-nii-chan didn't understand, but Xiaochun had long before him. She was not alone. A queen was not alone. She could fight. Lopmon would fight with her and then… well, then they could save everyone.

She was not a little kid anymore.

_"Card Slash!"_


	28. Grace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Frontier
> 
> Genre: Friendship
> 
> Characters: Orimoto Izumi, Fairymon
> 
> -Post Frontier. She felt like she was dancing wherever she went now.

She didn't tell the others, but Izumi had once been a  _giant_ klutz.

Izumi had never been able to identify it, but it was when she had returned to Japan. She had just failed at finding a balance for her feet, her hands, darn near anything. Perhaps loneliness had burdened her steps. She could never be completely certain of things like this.

She knew the Digital World had changed this. She knew, because the others never commented more than once. They never took her as fragile either. She proved her worth to them, any time she could. She found herself dancing a show that only they could see. Her friends. They could see a her that the school had made her dread trying to muster.

Izumi was perhaps, a little bitter with her schoolmates. Unlike Tomoki, she didn't have the ease of being young in school. She was established, known.

However, what kind of Warrior would she have been if she let that stop her?

At first, it was a few well-placed words, a little showing off. (Winking always helped, Fairymon had said.) Then it was a bit of dancing. It was holding out a hand. Soon, it wasn't lonely. Soon, her clumsiness was forgotten, all but for the fewest of jokes.

She was a dancer again. She was, like she was in Italy, a small star. Izumi knew she could never shine, like Takuya-kun, or even Kouji-kun when he smiled, but she had her own little ballet, a stage of her own with a few good lights and the right music.

She was her own actress now, the wind her favorite sonata.


	29. Steady

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Frontier
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Shibayama Junpei
> 
> -He was a rock in a river.

He wasn't the smartest one. Anyone with eyes and a hint of sarcasm could have told him that. Arguably, that was Kouji's forte, intelligence, cutting accuracy. Tomoki was the tiny muscle, the shy kid in every single one of them. He wasn't Takuya's heart or Izumi's earnestness (a trait he definitely valued). He was  _definitely_ no quiet, shy, I-will-bear-everything like Kouichi.

Like the others, Junpei had grown up. He realized he didn't want to be any of those things. He wanted to be him. He was enough.

He was also, in his own humble opinion, the only one of them with any real sense.

Kouichi had his burdens of evil and the pressure of being poor in a society where disgrace fell like cinderblocks. Kouji was more sensitive than a wet cat. Tomoki had just figured out the word  _bravery_.

He wasn't even going to get started on Takuya. Really now, why bother?

Junpei figured, out of their little band, he was the only one who looked beyond what was right in front of their eyes. That was the benefit of being up in the sky with the rain and the thunder. For a moment, the light flashed and the world, to all who could look, had the clarity of the sun, of perfect sight. Everyone else was blind. He wasn't. Because he wasn't, he would see past the surface. He would act beyond that surface.

He was not brave like Takuya, or gentle like Kouichi. He was not stubborn like Kouji or graceful like Izumi. He did not have Tomoki's determination. They had those. He had open-mindedness. He had steady feet.

He was the rock. They rested on him, depended on his comfort. He depended on their strength.

To him, it was only right.


	30. Perfection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: V-Tamer
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Saiba Neo
> 
> -Utopia was worth all. Drabble

He hated the sneers.

He hated his sister's smile.

He hated the sky that remained an honest blue and the Earth that kept turning. She could no longer walk upon it. What right did it have to continue its happiness? He had to sit here and slave for her, while she continued to smile at him, to soothe his troubled heart.

It wasn't enough. This world wasn't enough for such a wonderful person. It was simply not good enough.

He needed a new one, he needed a better one. He needed one where he didn't  _lose._

There would be no bugs in that world. In his utopia, no one would need sadness and pain. No one would be forced to give up on things, on themselves. Not his sister, not him.

Loss would never exist again. He knew he could do so.

He just had to do it.


	31. Broken

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Xros Wars
> 
> Genre: Friendship
> 
> Characters: Lopmon
> 
> \- I won't run away! Episode 34 Drabble

_I don't want to run away anymore!_

There was still something that we could do. He understood that.

Before, he hadn't thought those things. Lopmon had only thought to hide and to run.

" _Even though I've only known them for a short time, they're my friends!"_

Taiki was a human, but he hadn't run away. Shoutmon was a stranger, but he was still fighting for them. It wasn't fair; it definitely wasn't right.

NeoVamdemon... he hated him. He really, really hated him. He had taken away the sun, and his friends with the sun. He wouldn't forgive him; he definitely would not.

But... what could he do about him? What could he do about an immortal monster like that?

Nothing... he could do absolutely nothing to hurt him.

But Shoutmon could.

Lopmon nodded. Shoutmon could save them all. He could and with Taiki, he would.

All Lopmon could do... was show him the way.


	32. New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Tamers/02
> 
> Genre: General/Friendship
> 
> Characters: Akiyama Ryo, Ichijouji Ken
> 
> -Nothing to regret.

"Are you sure this is your decision?"

"... Yep."

He looked back for a moment, at the world he was born in. He could not regret. This place... was not his to be in.

_What about Ken?_

Was it Ken's place to be in? Would he be happier if he went with Ryo? Even though he had a family who must have loved him, Ken himself had admitted he was terribly lonely and now, without his brother around, he had lost something important to him.

_Maybe it'd be better if he did go with me. We could work together... and they might have ways to heal him._

_Or he could betray me, like_ they  _did._

Would Ken betray him? He had never shown a hint of doing something like that. All he had done was help him through the tournament and in defeating Milleniummon. All he had done was follow his commands loyally, even though he got no praise for it.

Would Ken betray him for that praise?

The answer, to him, was obvious. He wouldn't. However, Ryo knew he couldn't bring Ken into this either. That wouldn't be fair; it wouldn't be right. Just because of his loneliness, he would harm a good friend.

No, that would be a bad example. They had to start fresh, new. They had no choice. After all, they were both going to have to become stronger, Ken from protecting him and he...

"Cyberdramon, let's go."

From raising this kid.

He couldn't turn back or regret. What kind of hero would he be, if he did?


	33. Shine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: NEXT
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Mikihara Norn
> 
> -It was amazing to be surprised.

Shou.

You had done your best. You all had done your best.

Barbamon was strong however. He was darkness; he was the ill will of the Digital World. There was no way he could, no way anyone could stop that by themselves. The light would go out if there wasn't enough of it.

She wondered for a moment if Tsurugi could find his answer, the answer that he always had burning withing his chest. He had his reason for fighting, for going as far as he did. It had to be strong. It had to glow with such strength and such fury... it would have to blind a god.

But could it possibly do more?

She would never be quite sure with humans. She could never be. After all, Shou, who had almost been lost, had been able shine as bright as a sun.

Tsurugi could glow brighter. He had to... or everything would be pointless.

She didn't want it to be pointless now, not after everything that had begun today.


	34. Camping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 02
> 
> Genre: Friendship/Family
> 
> Characters: Yagami Taichi, Izumi Koushiro, Ishida Yamato, Ishida Hiroaki
> 
> -This was the answer for everything.

"All right, everybody out!"

Taichi couldn't believe his own genius sometimes. The fact that this had worked, and kept even his parents ignorant, was enough to make him grin. Yamato couldn't underestimate him anymore... not that he ever had a need to of course. He did anyway for some reason. Eh, he'd just swap his shampoo with tree sap. He'd done it before.

Hey, just because this was a serious trip didn't mean it was completely without fun.

"Sorry, Ishida-san," he called toward the man sitting by the lake. He looked disgruntled, something which Taichi often thought was a trademark of that last name. "We didn't want to get you guys any more involved in this than we had to."

The man waved his hand dismissively. "I'd rather know what's going on. We all expected this to have been, well, honestly, over."

Taichi nodded with a thoughtful grimace. This was the tough part about being a Chosen Child. They were still, well,  _children._  They still had people who were watching over them while they saved the world. "So did we," he finally said, aware finally of his best friend's eyes on his back. He ignored them. "We all wished it was over. But... it wasn't and it isn't. So we... have to keep going. Admittedly, the camping is a nice touch."

"Yeah, our camp was kind of snowed over the last time," Yamato said with a smirk. "Not that Koushiro minded at all."

"... I'll have you know I can't counter that."

They all laughed and Mr. Ishida let out a soft, displeased sigh. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it, looking thoughtful. "Will it ever be over, do you think?"

"No," Koushiro said quietly. "Not as long as there is evil. And there are people like us to fight it. But is that such a bad thing?

Hiroaki Ishida looked at the three boys, at the ferocious determination in his own son's eyes, in the way each of them looked back at the yellow and white laptop with anticipation. He smiled.  _They grow up fast, don't they?_

"No," he said, exhaling a breath of smoke. "No, I don't think so."


	35. Scarred

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Xros Wars
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Xros Wars cast (Part 2), (part 3)
> 
> -Just because they weren't bleeding didn't make it painless. Freeform, no specific character

It was a week before they remembered what happiness was.

It was a fortnight before the nightmares grew bearable.

It was a month before tears weren't staining their pillowcases.

They didn't need to ask silly questions about it to one another.

They didn't need to say; it would be okay.

Because it wouldn't and that was the cost they had to accept.

It was two months before he had made enough graves.

It was three before the flowers were in full bloom.

It was four before the scars began to fade.

They decided separation was okay without saying so.

They recognized they needed help without a listening ear.

It was half a year before he could accept they were alive again.

It was snowing before he realized he had a second chance.

It was the new year before they realized they had done well.

They decided it was good to be proud of one another.

They decided that the pain was bearable compared to the consequences.

It was spring before they realized they had a new chance.

It was summer again before they realized their fight was only just beginning.


	36. Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Adventure
> 
> Genre: Friendship
> 
> Characters:Tachikawa Mimi, Palmon, 01 cast
> 
> -Her only regret was crying.

Stupid.

Stupid. Stupid. Stupid  _Palmon._

She had wanted to  _smile_ at her before they left, to thank her. Mimi had wanted to tell her how special she was, how great she was, how they were always going to be _best_ friends no matter if she wilted like a weed and Mimi (somehow) got wrinkles and needed a hip replacement. That was just how it was going to be.

But Palmon had run away instead. Stupid. Now Mimi was angry with her.

They were going to be friends, always, forever. Even if they never saw each other, even if saying goodbye hurt, they were friends. If they never said goodbye, then... then they would always be lonely.

If she couldn't say goodbye to Palmon with pride, then how could they move forward into the future? How could she make up for her tears and her cowardice if they couldn't do this?

Palmon, you're stronger than this.

There was so much she wanted to say, so much she wanted to scream at the sky and say that saying goodbye wasn't fair. But Mimi couldn't do it. Sure it wasn't fair to her, but it wasn't fair to any of the others either. It wasn't fair to anyone.

Palmon could at least grow up about it.

When the trolley started rolling, she thought her gloves would rot off. They were so wet and so itchy and they were practically squishing her eye-wait a minute.

She smiled a little. Palmon, you  _idiot._


	37. Heat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Tamers
> 
> Genre: Friendship/Humor
> 
> Characters: Makino Ruki, Katou Juri
> 
> -Freaking summer. Few years post-series, post CD drama "Message in a Packet"

She never thought it would be so. damn. quiet.

WIthout the Digimon around, everything was so normal. She wanted to kick some puppies or knock that idiot Hirokazu off a bridge. It would at least be entertaining.

But it was too damn hot to do that.

Renamon would be sweltering. Thinking of her partner hurt like the ache of a healing bone. She ignored it, preferring to remain lazy on top of her futon, contemplating the many ways to torture the duo of stupidity that were Matsuda Takato's best friends. How they were friends was beyond her. Takato was far from stupid, just really naive.

... Okay, her brain had to be fried. She had just thought that statement.

"... Ruki-chan, are you asleep?"

"Juri." The aforementioned girl sat down beside her, smiling. "What are you doing here?" She made to sit up, but Ruki heard a sickening scrrtch, like tape, and decided that was a bad idea.

The girl then gave a mischievous smile. "Ice cream!" She held out an orange popsicle, looking quite pleased with herself.

Ruki was torn between snatching it away by her teeth and throwing it onto her stomach to melt into a sticky pool of cold. She chose a third option, grabbing the stick and sitting up. "...Thanks." Juri only smiled her gratitude and went back to licking her own. "... You have the cherry, don't you?"

"Strawberry," the girl corrected cheerfully. "Hirokazu-kun said orange was tart, so I should give it to you. Rude, isn't he?"

Ruki's eye twitched. "I'm going to kill him one of these days."

"He only does it because he likes you."

She almost spat out her ice cream. "Juri, don't. Just don't. That image is more horrifying than the idea of Ryo having a brain."

"Oh, he likes you too," Juri added offhandedly, waving her non-sticky hand back and forth. "Ryo-kun will probably do better than he will. He's got that... what does Papa call it? Oh right:" Her amber eyes glittered playfully. "That "bad boy" image."

Ruki was not turning red. She was not blushing darker than Juri's ice cream. "The heat's gotten to you too," she declared while Juri giggled at her expense.

"Has it now?"


	38. Choke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Tamers
> 
> Genre: Humor
> 
> Characters: Terriermon, Li Jianliang (Jenrya)
> 
> -His favorite was the spit take. Early in Tamers

Terriermon's favorite thing about people was their reactions.

People were so easy to enrage, except Renamon. He didn't think she appreciated a good crack at someone's self-esteem when he heard it. People just sometimes got so full of hot air that they needed a "pop" or two. Then again, maybe Renamon didn't do that. She sure was a lot more down to earth than her partner was.

That was why it was so fun to pick on them both, especially together.

He did wish Takato would take it like a man though. Really, did he have to cry? Jian always scolded him if people cried. It wasn't like the words could kill him or something. Silly Takato. Moumantai.

Guilmon and Culumon were much better with the stuff. They just looked confused and then Terriermon, the genius he was, got to explain it to them.

It was a shame he could never do it to Juri. It just felt  _wrong_ to mess with Juri, like there was something that said "nope, that's a dumb thing" whenever he thought about it.

Terriermon loved people. They were just so interesting.

And they all needed to moumantai.


	39. Burn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 01
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Takeouchi Sora
> 
> -Sometimes it hurt, how much she cared.

She was never sure who meant the most to her.

Sometimes she thought it was their younger ones who needed all the protection and love in the world. Sometimes she thought it was the Digimon.

A lot of the time, she thought it was Piyomon and Taichi, two of the ones she wanted to hold tight and never let them run off into silly dangers ever again. How fair would that be? Hold everyone close when the worlds needed them? What kind of friend would she be if she let that happen?

She wanted to run with them.

Sora wondered if she could cry like Mimi-chan cried. Would that be a bad thing? Would she be worthy of love if she did? She had to wonder sometimes if it would.

Loving people hurt. Loving people burned.

Sometimes she wished she could fly away from the world. Then there would be nothing to love or strive for.

That would be a peaceful dream. It would be a dream she could not fulfill. Her heart wouldn't allow it, even if it were possible.

So for now, Sora knew she would bear with things, until they became bearable.

It was better that way.


	40. Intent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Frontier
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Lucemon
> 
> -What to do with power? Pre-Frontier

He knew what a throne felt like now.

It cramped his wings. It forced his arms to straighten. It forced him to look at something other than everything.

Already, he hated it.

It was his chosen throne however, so to bear with it was a must, a necessity.

It wasn't as though someone else could do it. He'd seen what had happened the last time. He had ended what had happened when there was no one.

No, it was better that it was him. He had the vision. He wanted the world to live kindly with one another. Oh there would always be skirmishes, of course. It would be arrogant to assume he would have nothing to do in his reign, his forced upon reign. But... he had quelled anger before. He would do it again. It would take time.

He could.

He would.

Lucemon had the power, and the vision.

Now, at the top of the world, he just had to create it.


	41. Soothe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 02
> 
> Genre: Family
> 
> Characters: Inoue Miyako
> 
> -Sometimes she still dreamed. Post-BelialVamdemon

The nightmares never went away.

The Vampire had called it a dream, but she had known better. It was a horrible idea.

What if they were all gone? Just suddenly, out of the blue, vanished?

What if she was all her parents had left?

What if it was because of her?

She hated thinking that way. She was a Chosen Child, a fighter of all that was evil in the world.

Sometimes she had to get up at night, when she had woken up with tears in her eyes and Hawkmon's voice did nothing, and go and look for them. They were never in their beds, but usually wide awake, watching a movie, or trying not to claw apart their textbooks.

Somehow, they always knew, and that was nice.

Sometimes it would be one of them, or all. Either way she would just sit there and try not to cry, nodding as they tried to explain the properties of lymph or that this character was going to die because they were stupid. They could have been trying to teach her English for all she cared.

They weren't gone, they weren't dead. That was all she cared about.


	42. Bare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 01
> 
> Genre: Friendship
> 
> Characters: Ishida Yamato, Gabumon
> 
> -He wondered how far Gabumon could see.

He thought he had walls.

His barricades were strong, they could handle even the recklessness of Taichi.

But Gabumon wasn't Taichi.

He wasn't Takeru or Sora or anyone but Gabumon. He got it. He understood what Yamato didn't understand.

Yamato never quite got how. Gabumon always managed to make him  _listen_  over the sound of his own head. Then again, he was Gabumon, shy, loyal Gabumon, the best wolf anyone could ask for, the only partner he could ever need.

He couldn't help but smile at his partner sometimes, just when they were out for a walk or sharing a burger. He couldn't help his gratitude sometimes, for making him laugh when he just wanted to throw something out a window, preferably a certain television studio window.

He could help his crying, because he wasn't supposed to do that. Of course, Gabumon would know he wanted to.

His walls never worked all that well anyway.


	43. Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Hunters
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Tobari Ren
> 
> \- He hated stupid people.

Weak people, easily manipulated, those who were the prey instead of the predator by pure choice, those were the people Ren enjoyed destroying.

It was an impulse, really. It was fun. They were rather worthless. If they didn't think hard enough to get out of the way, it was just their loss. That was all there was to it.

Anyone without the brains to fight... or who fought on the wrong side, they were the worst.

Unfortunately, he was surrounded by such people.

Always too. It never ended.

The Hunters were the worst of it, as far as he was concerned. They didn't use any of their advantages well enough, or destroy their greatest competition. That damn King... anybody with eyes knew how dangerous he was. Incapacitating them was the best thing, since it was impossible to kill him.

Of course nobody was going to do that. Airu was actually scared of the bastard, not that she would ever  _say_  that. He had no clue what was going through his friend's head... but he hadn't known that in years. Still. That blue kid was going to get his butt handed to him.

Hopefully Ren got to do it himself. Stupid people deserved to get chewed up. It was the way of things.

 


	44. Murmur

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Tamers
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Impmon
> 
> -He wasn't weak.

Damn it.

DAMN IT.

They needed to shut up. They all... needed to be quiet. Every single human... he wanted them to scream. They were going to stop laughing at him. Humans...Digimon... all of them.

Don't think he didn't hear!

Little bastards.

Humans were rotten, smelly, stupid things. Things that valued friendship and lies and stabbed ya just when yer back was turned. Yeah, he knew all about humans.

What he wanted to know was about power.

Power was the ultimate.

Power prevented laughter.

Once he was strong, no one would laugh at him again.

Screw that ox, screw that sheep. He would find a way to kill them in their graves someday. He would become the strongest Digimon in the world.

Then no one would insult him.

NO ONE.


	45. Devious

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Hunters
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Suzaki Airu
> 
> \- There was always a way to get out.

There was a reason she was the expert on traps... and it wasn't just that she stole her father's physics books. Not like he read them anyway.

No, she needed ways to get out of stuff.

She wasn't clever or strong like her teammates, not like that. Oh, they were all driven as hell, but that wasn't the same. It wasn't the same as having that back exit, having that method through the madness. Her team didn't quite care about things being mad, they welcomed it. She wasn't sure that she could . She was selfish after all and she always got what she wanted, no retributions, nothing blowing up in her face.

That was the world for her. That was all it needed to be.

It was fun, anyway, watching the world bow and scrape, well ,as much as it could. She couldn't give anything away.

One of these days, she was going to give herself away and get caught.

That day was not today. After all, there was always some window in today.

That was why...

"I'm gonna catch that pink rabbit if it's the last thing I do!"

Ryouma had only shrugged at her, smiling that loose little smirk he always seemed to freaking have at the wrong times. Or at least what she considered the wrong times. Ren had only laughed and called her a stupid girl, like he always  _did_. However, they still went after her, and worked with her, and made sure there was a damn back exit. She would do it for them. It wasn't like it was hard or something.

It wasn't like she cared about them or anything either.

Just... they were a means to an end. That was all they needed to be. They knew that and so did she. There was nothing wrong with knowing that either.


	46. Isolation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Hunters/Post-Hunters
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Mogami Ryouma
> 
> -Was it meant to be lonely?

He wasn't sure power was the best thing anymore.

He wasn't sure that was what he had been looking for.

Strength... what was it?

What was the pedestal that person had stood upon?

It was certainly a very quiet one.

Why hadn't he thought to ask?

Well, how could you ask about that? He had never seen a person's eyes look any less alive than when those old days were mentioned. He had never seen someone so serious before. Taiki-san was a focused person, and he admired that.

He just wondered how that focus could make him blind to Ryouma's own flaws.

Or maybe he simply didn't care.

Well, that didn't seem right. Taiki-san cared about everything, even to his own detriment. Well, now that he thought about it, he didn't seem to regard that as important either.

Well. That just didn't make any sense either.

If one person couldn't be alone, then nor could another.

Someday he would have a logic argument with Taiki-san. It could be fun.

Or exasperating.

At least it wasn't Tagiru.


	47. Ignore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Tamers
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Li Jianlang (Jenrya)
> 
> -At some point, it just got easier.

He remembered fighting. He remembered hurting people.

It was the most exhilarating and horrifying moment of his life.

For the first time in his life, he had actually had power. Power over people, power of something in the world. He was finally different, finally a standout.

But...

It always came back to that silly word, didn't it?

He had hurt someone. And hurt them badly, needlessly. It was a crime, an unforgivable stain on himself as a person. Jianliang knew better than to try at otherwise. He was too diligent, Mama said, too focused. He wouldn't let himself be forgiven or his cruelty forgotten.

Then what would he do? The kid would forget.

How could he pay for what he had done?

Simple. He's ignore everything. He'd ignore all of them, their harshness , their cruelty.

Turning the other cheek. It could work. It would work. Work for peace.

Work to ignore so he didn't hurt anyone else anymore. Not like that. Never again.

It was hard at first.

People were just so cruel. They attacked other people. He couldn't understand why. He had to not attack. He had to learn to speak.

He got hit a lot. He sometimes came home with mud on his shoes.

That was okay.

Eventually, it got easier. Just like hurting someone. It gets easier after the first time.


	48. Winter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 02
> 
> Genre: Friendship/Angst
> 
> Characters: Nat-chan
> 
> -"Hear my voice... wrap your arms around me.", The Door to Summer Drama CD Drabble

Cold. Always, it's cold.

Wherever she goes, it's quiet and cold.

She hates it.

It hurts.

She wishes it were warmer.

Would the chirping stop? The chirping was the only noise, the only one that mattered. It was her noise. It was her.

She was the only one here. "No one is here... no one will come to save me."

Was there anyone to save? Anyone to hear?

"It hurts... no matter what I do, people are scared of me... No matter what I do... everyone ignores me..."

"What did I do? I... it's lonely..."

"What did I do?"

 


	49. Reach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 01
> 
> Genre: General/Family
> 
> Characters: Kido Jyou
> 
> -He never made it easy.

What would Dad think?

The entire time, he asked himself that. He always tried to imagine that. He always found disapproval.

Nothing worked.

Every time a goal was met, another bar. It was... more than frustrating.

""You're going to become a doctor, aren't you?"

"I..."

You couldn't say no to Dad.

Or at least, he couldn't.

After the Digital World, he realized saying words, words with firm backbone behind them, mind you, got easier. He couldn't look his father in the eye yet, but... someday. He would reach that. For now... he had to study.

That was what he was doing when there was a knock at his door. "Yes?" His voice was tinged with good cheer, if a mild distaste. He did always say he disliked when people interrupted him. Or at least, he had recently. Did his father think that way?

"Is studying going well?"

Jyou almost froze. Then a small, wan smile rose to his lips. " _My_ studying is going just great. Thanks Dad."

His father said nothing.

That was more than enough for him.


	50. Difficult

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 01/02
> 
> Genre: Friendship
> 
> Characters: Yagami Hikari, Ichijouji Ken, Takaishi Takeru
> 
> -People bond over the strangest things. Can be considered a companion for "Ink"

The look on her face was rather scary.

Ken sat nervously by Takeru, watching the ceiling fan with an avid fascination. Hikari smiled at him over the top of the paper, but it was strained, almost trying to stretch her skin off. His eyes caught Takeru's, who smiled sheepishly.  _It's fine,_ he mouthed at Ken, who looked at him with utter horror.

_No, it's not._

All he had done was edit. Why was  _he_ the nervous one?

Maybe it was because the story was true and it was important.

Maybe it was because Hikari looked like she was about to cry.

Ken hated it when people cried. It always touched at his heart like a butcher knife. He, in a fit of reflexive anxiety, tightened his grip on Wormmon. The green worm snuggled closer, remaining focused on Ken's eyes.

"It's okay, Ken-chan," he squeaked, his tinny voice too soft for anyone but Ken. Ken smiled a little but looked away again. Takeru crossed his legs again, avoiding Hikari's gaze. Was it because he didn't want to see either? They were close... they were friends. It was okay... for Takeru-san to see her cry. But they weren't close... enough...

"Hikari-san!"

She looked at him with blurry eyes. Confusion lit them up like small flames. Takeru moved instantly to wrap his arms around her and Ken pulled the story back, placing it on the table. He wanted to place a hand on her shoulder, but stopped at the last minute, watching the tears fall.

Hikari touched her cheek. "Oh..." she whispered. "Oh. I'm sorry; I didn't mean to! I just..."

"Don't apologize!"

Takeru and Hikari both flinched and for some reason that scared him. "Don't apologize," Ken repeated softly as Wormmon scuttled back up his shoulder. "It hurts and we reminded you of that.  _Please_ don't say you're sorry.  _Please."_

Takeru flashed him a small smile, one full of gratitude and agreement. Hikari blinked at them both, utterly bewildered. "But... I... you two worked on that story for me..."

"It made you cry," Takeru said simply. "That was my plan, but... somehow..." He gave a raspy chuckle. "Seeing it happen makes me feel like a jerk."

"But you aren't." Hikari shook her head, wiping her eyes. "You two are the best. You really are. You guys... tried to show others... what I really want to say."

" _Thanks."_

The two boys looked at each other and Takeru sighed. "I really don't get girls."

Ken chuckled. "Don't worry; neither do I."

"But you're supposed to be the genius."

" _Takeru-kun,"_ Hikari admonished.

The three of them laughed, and everything was all right.

Painful, but it was all right.


	51. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Frontier
> 
> Genre: Family
> 
> Characters: Minamoto Kouji
> 
> \- This was the crux.

On some days, he had an inescapable urge to cling to his brother's arm and never let go. He wished Kouichi would get angry with him then, and not pretend to understand. He only barely understood. He had been the one who had died, not the one who had seen the dying. It wasn't the same.

It wasn't the same as the nightmares.

Duskmon wasn't frightening to him anymore.

He would always exist within Kouichi. It was next to impossible for him to disappear. That was okay. Kouji knew he wasn't all that nice himself.

But... it wasn't the same.

Kouichi had died.

He had  _died_ , after working so hard for them to meet. After he had worked up the courage to tell his stepmother he was sorry, and after saying they would visit their mom, their real mom, he was dead.

No, worse. He had already  _been_ dead.

While Kouji had been selfish enough to wallow, he had suffered, searching for him. He had died trying to meet him.

Why had he come back?

He could never ask. There were too many nightmares where he didn't that Kouji never asked. Too many days of close calls and danger zones and Takuya stupid stunts.

Sometimes it was his light sword. Sometimes it was him with Duskmon's red blade.

Once it had been Kouichi in his armor, fighting his battles.

It didn't matter. He always, always, faded into Lucemon's palm.

He would wake alone those nights and desperately move to text his brother... only to remember that, even now, the boy couldn't afford a phone of his own.

So... could he be blamed for being a little closer to Kouichi than usual, for knocking him from his dazes a little rougher than yesterday?

He didn't think he could.

Kouji just wished Kouichi would stop trying to understand.


	52. Veer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Savers
> 
> Genre: Friendship
> 
> Characters: Daimon Masaru, Gaomon
> 
> \- It was nice to take journey breaks.

In his wanderings around the Digital World, searching for injustice to destroy, he frequently came across Gaomon.

The blue dog would always nod at them, looking up from whatever training he had been perusing. Then he would go right back to it, like he had never been interrupted in the first place. Masaru found that rather comforting, in a manly sort of way. The Digimon would never treat him any differently but... there was a man's respect in those eyes.

Sometimes he would offer for a match. Gaomon would accept with this strange snort. He never understood why he would laugh. Was it something to do with Tohma? He never found the idea to ask, oddly, not until it was raining so hard his clothes were falling off, they were so wet.

"Why do I laugh?" The Digimon repeated. He gave a tiny smile. "Nostalgia, I suppose." He looked up at the tree trunk they sheltered under. "My master has always been my master... but it has been a long time since I was allowing myself to call him friend." He looked at them both then, and his tail wagged with an old cheer. "Back when he could smile as you did."

Masaru wanted to speak, but his throat closed as Gaomon blew at the fire.

"He was never exuberant, but..." Gaomon laughed. "He could always make people happy. Kid's games, runs through the rain. Until Relena-sama took up a lot of his time, he could always manage such things. As such, when I became," He gestured to his form with one gloved paw. "As I am, he would always punch at my fists. He could never knock me over."

Now the street fighter could laugh.

"That was his reaction, always," the Digimon said gravely. "To laugh at himself, because he was silly." He tapped his chin. "I felt... safe to laugh with him, until one day, he had begun to cry." Gaomon shook his head. "That day was when my master lost his smile, lost a path that, looking back, could have been good to him. In that way, you two are alike."

"I don't think I'm a computer."

Gaomon snorted. "I think we all can agree with that statement. However, you both have reached the same path, in the end."

"Isn't that a good reason to laugh?"


	53. Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 01
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Devimon
> 
> \- Once was enough, thank you. Drabble

He had been an angel before.

It was dreadfully  _dry._

Save this, save that.

All because he happened to have white feathers.

Honestly, so dull.

He wanted something else to do, something else to be.

But what could satisfy him? What could satisfy anyone?

Perhaps destruction. Yes...

Perhaps chaos... that did even greater.

But certainly nothing bright, nothing beautiful.

No, that was degrading.

He just needed to have some entertainment for everyone beyond. That was all.

He wasn't really the ringleader for this circus in the end.


	54. Last Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 02
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Pipimon
> 
> -You didn't stay forever. 2nd person POV

It was time.

It was time, time, time!

I'd been waiting for you.

Such a long time.

Such a boring time.

To exist, but unable to see you.

You, who cried by yourself all alone.

You forgot to believe in me.

You forgot how to be bright.

But now you're here!

You'll be here forever, won't you?

You'll stay with me forever, right?

You won't, will you?

You never keep your promises.

Fine!

Go! Go be a hero without me!

I'll be okay!

… I'll miss you.


	55. Been

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 01
> 
> Genre: Friendship
> 
> Characters: Wizarmon
> 
> -He just had to stop thinking.

It was cold.

No, scratch that, it was  _freezing._

In the desert of all things.

Honestly. What was the matter with him? Where was he going anyway?

Who was he to anyone?

Wherever he went, no one cared. Wherever people were, no one saw him. No one could be okay with that. No one could want that.

Eventually, the injustice of it all wore away and he simply began to stop caring. He would die soon enough and if no one missed him, then no one missed him. It was just the way things were. He would even forget himself.

Maybe if that happened, he would reborn into a world where he  _wasn't_  alone.

His staff gave out, and he collapsed.

In a haze of exhaustion, he thought he heard a voice.

Was there a kind person left in this world?

No, he had long believed there never would be. Not for him. There could not be.

But say... if there was, he would devote himself. He would free himself. Their servant, their friend.

So long as he wasn't alone.

Of course, that was just conjecture.


	56. Grave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 02
> 
> Genre: Friendship/Family
> 
> Characters: Ichijouji Ken, Ichijouji Osamu, Wormmon, 02 cast
> 
> -Even flimsy wood could be powerful. Companion to 'Erratic'
> 
> (Note: Erratic is an early one. :) )

He wanted to go back, some days, and put some gravestones in the Digital World.

He wanted to mourn the evil that was left there.

He wanted to mourn the Kaiser.

He wanted to mourn the long-since dead.

The trouble of it all was: he didn't know how.

These days, he knew what words to say to his brother's photograph. He could tell him about his day, and the silly things Daisuke and Miyako argued about for thirty minutes and counting. He sometimes just sat there and chatted with Wormmon and let Osamu's ghost listen. Sometimes he did his homework and mulled over the fact that if Osamu was here they could solve the formulas together.

The fact that he wasn't there anymore didn't hurt quite so much these days.

The others that died, however... he wasn't sure what to do with them. Not with himself, or the Digimon he controlled, not the ones who had suffered. Nothing. Was a grave even worth it, when they would always come back? He often asked Wormmon these questions, then laughed at himself when he expected an answer that would make sense to both of them. It never did, so he always put it to the back of his mind.

Otherwise, he would probably worry himself to death.

Was there a right way to make a grave? Was mourning something uniform?

He wanted to ask someone, but at the same time, he didn't. It wasn't right to ask. The others didn't know, not really. They could tell a lot of stories, but it would never be the same as  _knowing_. Killing a Digimon was never supposed to be  _easy_ , but seeing them die for you... that was different. There was something wholeheartedly different.

That was a pain he didn't wish upon anybody.

So, once in a while, he went to the Digital World and worked. He made little crosses under trees. He played with the newborns.

He always did this with Wormmon in the beginning. However, Daisuke sometimes just followed him. He never asked why or complained, like he would have if the others were there. He just got it and that was enough.

Those days, he thought that he might deserve the Crest of Kindness after all.


	57. Machine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 01
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Mugendramon, 01 cast
> 
> -Power was power. Episode 49

His purpose was murder.

Death after death after death.

All for strength. All for the higher objective. Whatever that objective was to be. It was not his concern; it never was. He didn't have the intelligence for it. That wasn't a sin, was it now? Piemon was the intelligent one. He had the plans, the knowledge of purpose. Mugendramon was simply there to carry out that purpose.

That was the duty of a machine.

That was the pride of a machine.

Why then, were this humans so angry? You destroyed and replaced the broken pieces of a machine, did you not? Then why was that child so enraged about the death of weak Numemon? They were not going to obey him and power the city anymore. They were going to rebel. Rebelling parts did not exist. If they did, they had to be eliminated before they hindered the process. They then were.

Then why was there so much anger?

Emotions were things he barely understood, nor had he needed to until now.

He supposed that even now, as he slashed at the WarGreymon, that it wasn't important.

Even if he was destroyed, there would be a new cog in the machine.

He was just a piece.


	58. Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 02
> 
> Genre: Family/Angst
> 
> Characters: Hida Iori
> 
> -He hadn't wanted to accept that.

The illusion had been wonderful.

His father's hand... he had actually held his father's hand!

Always... always, he had wanted to meet this person, this man who had died a hero. He wanted to have more of his face than that endless, photo smile. He had wanted him to meet Armadimon, to be able to say "This is my father." But it wasn't real. It wasn't even close to real.

He couldn't even ask him for help. He was the problem, now. He was the gaping hole in Iori's life.

He was dead.

Nothing brought the dead back to life. Even with Digimon, the others confided it was a risk.

He couldn't lose Armadimon too, not in battle like that. He couldn't lose his friends, or his family. He just, not to BelialVamdemon, who had played on his desires like that. Not to any evil, who didn't care who they hurt.

It had taken so long to forgive Ken-san, because of that.

It had taken so long to see that light could come from darkness, because of that.

What if Ken had killed someone? What would they have done?

Now that he sat and thought about it, they probably would have done nothing. The others had killed, too. They were hardened to death, with the intention to murder. Even Takeru-kun and Hikari-san... their moments began with killing. They hated it, but with the way things had become... in the end, they would have felt wrong to do so.

What would his father have said to that? He probably would have accepted it. He was a strange man, his mother had said, firm with justice, but incredibly open-minded. He still wasn't capable of that. Iori wished he could be.

Iori wished his father was there to tell him how.

But he was dead, and the dream had tried to tell him otherwise.

He wished the dream had been real, even now.

It wasn't. He was dead, and that was the worst thing.

Some dreams were never meant to be real.


	59. Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 02
> 
> Genre: Family
> 
> Characters: Motomiya Daisuke, Motomiya Jun
> 
> -They really didn't hate each other. Drabble.

"You... little... twerp!"

"Thank you would have been nicer!"

They bickered. They were siblings. They bickered a lot. It was almost an Olympic sport between the two of them. That didn't mean they didn't have each other's back when it counted. Like today.

"I told you those guys were checking you out!" Daisuke huffed, juggling his soccer ball. He peered over his goggles to glare at his sister. "They were totally eyeballing you!"

"That did not mean you had to beam one of them in the face with your damn soccer ball!" she protested. "You almost broke my perfume bottle! That was for Mom!"

"She can buy her own damn bottle! At least he didn't do something weird!" He puffed out his chest. "Cause I stopped him!"

"And nearly got us banned from the mall!" Jun shrieked.

Daisuke whistled and said. "Watch it, sis, your hair's sparking."

"Speak for yourself!"

Their voices grew louder as they entered the elevator. Jun never thanked him for it, nor informed Daisuke that the man's reaction of strangled swear words and yelling of pain was incredibly funny.

She didn't have to. He never asked.


	60. Manuscript

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Savers
> 
> Genre: Friendship/Humor
> 
> Characters: Noguchi Ikuto, Daimon Chika
> 
> -"Good to know you always have my back." Post-Savers, pre-five year epilogue

"You didn't."

Ikuto felt his cheeks burn. "Um... I didn't?"

Chika gave him a light punch to the arm. He pretended to wince, having at least mastered physical humor. "Sarcasm, bedhead." She glanced him over thoughtfully. "But really, you actually wrote it? You actually had the time to sit there and write it?"

"You act like I don't do anything!" he protested, glaring mockingly at her. "Ms. I-Can't-Figure-Out-How-To-Solve-X!"

Chika snickered. "At least I don't sometimes sound like a feudal lord!"

He gaped at her. "Do I really?"

"Most certainly," she assured. "Like, this ancient old guy who might command me to go slay some soldiers for the sake of the Restoration." Ikuto buried his face in his hands and she patted him on the back. "Don't worry, at least you aren't like Tohma-san with his holier-than-thou way of talking to idiots. You're getting better."

"Yet I still sound ridiculous," he bemoaned. "So much for being 'humon'." He snorted at the old joke and Chika rolled her eyes.

"You at least don't smell anymore. The glorious thing about modern day plumbing." He stuck his tongue out at her and winced in memory. Looking back, it had been absolutely horrible. Yukidarumon would have never forgiven him for that. Then again, she would have taken to him with her paws and done it herself.

Ikuto smiled, a bit bitterly. Her memory was full of brightness now. It didn't hurt quite so much.

"She's proud of you, you know."

He glanced at Chika, who shrugged. "It's just something mom used to tell me, when Dad wasn't around. That wherever he was, he was proud. It was true. So it's probably true now."

Ikuto grinned. "Yeah, probably. Good to know you think of nice things to say once in a while."

"See if I cheer you up again."


	61. Destination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 01
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Digimon, Pukamon
> 
> -Surely it was the newness. Pre-01

Today!

The Digivices finally went up!

Motimon was actually excited!'

Pukamon knew how rare as heck that was and that meant he had to be the one who didn't run around like a Kokatorimon with its head cut off. … Ooh, the  _chaos._

He wondered if taking off their head would get rid of that stupid petrifying... thing.

He needed to stop going to Tokomon for the big words.

Koromon is, of course, as chipper as ever and it makes him wonder if the little pink guy even knows when it's happening. He might, of course, because the guy's always had weird feelings about stuff that Pukamon sometimes thought were simply indigestion. Guy ate them out of tree and berry after all.

Oh well, who cared?

It was finally going to happen.

The... thing... they had been waiting for.

Yes, he had no idea what the thing was. Considering there was always a name in his head, it was probably a someone. But who cared? It was taking too long. Really, they had been waiting  _years._

Really, Jyou, you shouldn't make people wait years. Really.

But that was okay. Today was the journey. Today, everything was going to be new.

It. Was. Awesome.


	62. Nowhere

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 01
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Izumi Koushiro
> 
> -He didn't know where to go. Pre-01. Drabble

" _I wonder when we should tell him..."_

He didn't want to know this.

Whether it was the truth or not, he didn't want to have learned this.

" _We can't wait too much longer."_

It wasn't fair.

What was he supposed to do now? Who was he?

Where did he belong?

" _But how can we tell him..."_

What was he supposed to say to them now?

" _He's not really our son?"_


	63. Garden

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 02
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: BelialVamdemon
> 
> -Why struggle? Episode 49.

The illusion is a success.

Seeing jaws slacken, eyes turn white, it causes him to smirk with delight. The Digimon are confused, helpless o their partner's own distress and frozen states. It is good. They cannot stop him now. Now all he needs to do... is kill.

Should he kill the new ones first? They wouldn't be too much of a loss of firepower. No... he had a better idea. He looked over at Hikari. That damn... pure girl. She, who gave herself up, only to be saved. She struggled. Why? Defiant and pure until the end... that child of light... no matter. None at all.

He simply had to reach out... and take her.

"No."

One of them... one of them was awake, was aware. The fool with the blue dragon. He should have fallen. Why didn't he?

The boy was glaring, glaring at him. Why resist?

Why struggle?

If destiny had chosen him to fulfill his dream, then... ah. He did not understand. He did not understand that this was the vampire's destiny. He would plunge the world into darkness. That was the reality. The boy's foolishness was his downfall. It truly would be. No one could fight fate, so why struggle against it?

Even if the other children awoke, which how would they, what could they do? They had beaten him only twice, and it was not enough. A third time was too lucky.

This time, he would kill the light, and destroy hope. There would be nothing left for the other children to fight with if he did.

The world would be his black Eden soon enough. And that was good. Yes, that was exquisite.

It was almost worth the annoyance of dwelling in a human body and hearing his soul scream.

It would soon be rectified...

Soon the crown would be his.


	64. I know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Tamers/02
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Akiyama Ryo, Osamu Ichijouji
> 
> -He had not saved anyone, in the end.

The car had been too fast for Osamu.

Or maybe the boy had wanted it.

Ryo didn't know. Ken couldn't tell him. No one, after all, really understood Ichijouji Osamu. He was a smart boy, frightening in how intelligent he was. People soaked it in. People reveled in putting others on pedestals.

He had done that, hadn't he?

He had known when he was doing it.

Praise the boy's ability, ignore the boy.

Ryo had tried to be careful, just play games, do relaxing things, whenever he saw Osamu. It was hard, because Ken always laughed too loudly, or hid out of the house. Osamu never put down his pencil. He made it hard to be his friend.

Unlike the parents, Ryo hadn't been unhappy when he learned Osamu was dead. Oh, sure, it sucked, but... it was something Osamu would do. He would just work himself until he couldn't anymore, and then just give up and sleep. It wasn't healthy normally, but now.

Well, now look what the great genius had done. That had just gone and ruined everything, hadn't it? Because he was too stupid to scream for help... because he was too much of an idiot and a genius to know that was what people did. He was too busy in his books and his prizes and unreasonable expectations.

Ryo knew all of this was the facts of it. He knew.

It didn't mean he wasn't still guilty for not stopping him from doing stupid things.

Knowledge wasn't everything.


	65. Clouds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Frontier
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Three Angels
> 
> -He hated the rain. Seraphimon POV

The day everything had gone wrong, it had rained.

Cherubimon was like a storm all of his own. Insufferable, unwilling to simply listen. He had been that way every once in a while when they had first began.

Now, he was simply hateful.

He had lost his logic, and replaced it with something darker.

The rain fell, and he screamed in it.

Seraphimon could only watch his friend scream. What was he tormented by? By them? What could he do to ease that suffering?

The rain fell against the backdrop of the lightning and the angel rose to the shrieks of the beast. He would not have to ease such suffering. He would have to silence it.

He thought of Ofanimon and her kind heart and let out a sad sigh. He wished to settle this now. He wished dearly that this did not have to be.

However, there was no sun to make everything all right. He would have to make it all all right on his own. He would fight Cherubimon. And he would win, for all of their sakes. Before it was too late.


	66. Destiny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 01
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Homeostasis
> 
> -Overseers did not believe in coincidence. Episode 46/Pre-01

That wasn't an accident that day.

They knew it.

Even if the Gods claimed the falling Digimon was an accident, the potential was not.

It never was.

Prophecy was prophecy.

Fate was fate.

It was proud.

It was unshakeable.

Only a will could change it.

They had faith in such things.

Things began set in stone, but these children would find a way to become more than what they already were. They had to. Or there would be nothing left that they could change.


	67. Retribution

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Xros Wars
> 
> Genre: Friendship
> 
> Characters: Amano Yuu, Kudou Taiki, Xros Heart Digimon
> 
> -Would it make you feel better? A conversation. Hunters Episode 4

"Are you going to stand there all night?"

Taiki's words held their concern and on the inside, Yuu seethed a little. He wanted to hide himself, because he was being seen through again. Taiki never let him sulk, never. It was horrible sometimes.

"No," he finally said, hurrying after him. He was a good senpai, a good friend. He knew Taiki-san understood what he was thinking right now, and he couldn't stay mad at him.

"He can be loud, can't he?" Taiki said, kind and blunt in the same sentence. It was a testament to the kind of person he was that Yuu managed a small laugh.

"He's happy, though." Yuu smiled a little wider, a little weaker. "It's a good thing. We fought that day... so people like him could be, right?" His chest hurt.  _I'm not lying, it's good. Just..._

"Oi, Yuu, don't do that." Shoutmon's rasp of a voice made him look up from his thoughts.

"You'll just be hurting yourself, kyu," Cutemon added. The Digimon were looking at him through Taiki's Xros Loader and it wasn't right. It wasn't pity, nor was it gentle. It was simply understanding, and knowledge.

"If it hurts, it hurts," Taiki said quietly. "Not much we can do about it."

Yuu stood there a moment. "Can you hate me?"

Taiki quirked an eyebrow. "Why... exactly?"

He earned a laugh. "I dunno; I just think you should. I did some horrible things... and I'm not able to make up for them."

"That isn't really something you're allowed to decide, Yuu," Shoutmon said darkly. "That's our decision, and our feelings, not yours."

"I... I know that!" They kept walking, Yuu feeling horribly embarrassed. He knew that... he knew but... being blamed would...

"Would it help you if I did?"

Yuu looked at Taiki, who shrugged. "I'm just asking. Would it help if I, ya know, blamed you?"

Yuu hesitated. Emotionally, he certainly thought so... but...

"No, no I don't think so."

"You're doing fine, kyu," said Cutemon.

Shoutmon snorted. "You can't rush into everything."

Yuu glowered. "I don't want to hear that from  _you._ "

Taiki laughed and Yuu found himself laughing with him.


	68. Monopoly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 02
> 
> Genre: Friendship/Humor
> 
> Characters: 02 cast
> 
> -In which Miyako is bad at games. Drabble

"Miyako-san... I'm sure you'll win next round..."

"I know that!"

Ken shied back, looking completely out of his depth. He gave Iori a pleading look, and in their moments of occasional camaraderie, shook his head right back. Not even he was going to try and calm a raging Miyako when she wasn't good at something. He sighed.

Miyako sniffed. "Your room hates me, Ken-kun." She grinned at him and he laughed, a little weakly.

"I'm pretty sure it's rigged against everyone."

"Except me," Daisuke crowed.

"That's why you're not playing, Daisuke," he reminded his friend with a laugh. The other boy glared, a glare made up of goggles and Oreo on his face. Hikari giggled at him and Daisuke gave her a look of utmost horror.

He crawled on his knees. "You aren't laughing at me, are you Hikari-chan?"

"Umm..." I'm laughing with you?" she offered shyly and he wailed his misfortune to the ceiling.

Iori gently smacked him with a newspaper. "Shh!" he hissed. "Ichijouji-san's neighbors!"

Takeru laughed. You couldn't make up these moments, folks.


	69. Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Savers
> 
> Genre: Family
> 
> Characters: Tohma Norstein, Relena Norstein
> 
> -"I will... no matter what..."

Already, Tohma loved his little sister.

She didn't ask him questions about something he didn't understand. She didn't scoff at the picture of his mother. She chased him everywhere in a crawl, babbling and giggling and holding tight to his own tiny hand.

Her hands were so weak.

She had been born wrong.

But he loved her.

She was his sister.

He wanted to save her.

Big brothers saved their sisters. His mother would want that, wouldn't she? She would want him not to weep all the time for her of be lonely because his family didn't always want him. Relena wanted him. That could surely be enough, couldn't it? That would surely be all that mattered. He didn't want the only person in his life left to die. Even if it meant he had to suffer, to work himself to death, he just wanted to save her.

Helplessness hurt.

He studied and worked from day until night. Tohma never cared if his grandmother looked at him or not after that. If she didn't love him, well, that was his concern. She was going to dictate his life anyway. She didn't have to do anything for his sister. He could take care of her.

It was probably the only thing he could do.


	70. Serenity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Tamers
> 
> Genre: Friendship
> 
> Characters: Renamon, Makino Ruki
> 
> \- Focus. Renamon thinks about her Ruki, and the people with her.

Ruki was her Tamer.

That was the solid truth. That was the truth she lived by, she killed for. Before, it had been strength. Ruki was her strength, her key to ultimate power. Power was survival. It was an area she could work at, be good at.

But was Renamon nothing but power?

No... she was Ruki's sister.

Ruki was her family.

Her grandmother was a kind woman. Patient, mellow, forgiving. She was worthy of respect, something Ruki needed to learn. Sometimes, Renamon wished she could speak to her. She was loyal and hardworking, and had tried to raise her daughter well. Even that woman, Ruki's mother, was not deserving of the scorn she received. The kitsune suspected that her Tamer knew this as well as she herself did, and simply didn't know what to do with it.

Even though humans were not always killing, they were doing things that were still painful, even if they did not recognize it themselves.

Ruki was learning her kindness. Perhaps from that, it would be more genuine. Renamon often wondered.

Ruki was her friend.

The voices of Takato and Jenrya, the two who reached out to her, who smiled at her. They who had caused Ruki to see a larger world, caused herself to experience something she had forgotten was real: companions.

It was gratifying.

Especially on this day.

Ruki was her Tamer. Ruki was her everything.

She was going to miss her.

However, Pokomon was happy.

Her Ruki was crying from her heart.


	71. Bone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Frontier
> 
> Genre: Friendship
> 
> Characters: Frontier cast
> 
> \- "Well, you look fine to me." Episode 50

"Kouji, stop fussing."

"He fell down stairs, Takuya. Bite me."

Kouichi chuckled. In truth, he didn't mind Kouji looking him over like a dark blue hawk. It was better than some disinterested expression that he gave almost everyone else on the planet. Tomoki was giving him his own look of anxiety and he smiled. "I'm all right," he said, partly to diffuse the tension and partly because it was true. He had not a hint of a tender head, or blood oozing from the back. He felt as okay as you could for dying.

Well, it was best not to be that specific out loud.

Junpei offered him a piece of chocolate, winking conspiratorially. Kouichi accepted with a small sigh. At least Junpei wasn't smothering him. Nor was Izumi, who was instead taking the approach of "let's find everybody's houses before dawn" as they walked from the hospital.

Kouji, didn't believe him of course, but even from these few days, Kouichi could sense that his brother didn't believe anything he didn't see with his own eyes. That was all right, Kouichi was someone who could believe in a lot of things on simple good faith. Otherwise, he would never have hunted down Kouji in the first place, and none of this may have happened.

_I wonder what mom will say._

She would probably cry a little and wear herself to near-fainting. That would be horrible.

"Oh no," he realized aloud, thinking of his mother. "The hospital... how am I going to explain that to my mother?" At the others' confusion, he elaborated. "We don't have much money... we're still... kind of paying off grandmother's funeral. Oh..." He shook his head. "How are we going to pay for this?" The panic was beginning to set in, mixing with guilt like a bad batch of Kool-Aid. He almost grabbed at his head when Kouji gently grabbed his wrist.

"We'll find a way."

"We  _all_ will," Tomoki clarified with a sudden devilish gleam in his eyes.

Kouichi shook his head. "You guys... you can't... it's way too much."

"Too bad," Junpei cracked. "We're convinced."

"You're one of us," Izumi said cheerfully. "All for one and one for all. Besides, it could be fun! A learning experience, ne Takuya?"

Takuya only grinned, tapping the goggles on his head. "I don't  _learn_  things, Izumi."

"There's evidence of that," Kouji said by Kouichi's ear.

Takuya rolled his eyes. "Give up, Kouichi. We ain't lettin' go now that you made a point of saying something."

Kouichi smiled wryly, gratefully. "Me and my big mouth then."


	72. Playboy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Xros Wars
> 
> Genre: Friendship/Humor
> 
> Characters: Aonuma Kiriha, Amano Nene
> 
> -"Oh, so you aren't?" Hints of shipping, Hunters

Contrary to popular belief, Kiriha did  _not_ get all the girls.

He was too awkward.

Yes, our commandeering General of Blue Flare was awkward around women. And Nene teased him about it from dusk until dawn.

Or maybe she was secretly pleased with that outcome. He could never tell.

Well, at least he didn't stutter... most of the time. He could manage conversations in school, or at his job. Hell, he could make them smile once in a while. However, when you spent most of your time frowning at your desk, it made you look broody.

For some reason, ladies loved that.

He took a match, lit it, and set fire to the latest collection of soppy destruction. He didn't care about his image... but talking to a girl like that felt... gross. Like, he would have to be overly nice to her... and care about her.

Nene was easy. She was manipulative, girly certainly, but not boring about it. Most fawned over him, but she was like an enemy of war, seeking to use him as he had intended to use her. No two ways about it, she was interesting.

"Oh my," she said from behind his ear. "More of them  _again,_ Kiriha-kun? Is your free time scarce or what?"

Kiriha didn't hit her because she was a girl, and because Canyon Land was too quick to remember. "I don't deal with them," he retorted, crushing the ashes.

She frowned. "Why not?"

"They're boring," he said without thinking and she laughed.

"Our poor playboy."

"Don't joke."

She chuckled and rested her elbows on his shoulders. "Guess I'm not boring?"

He shrugged, turning away. "Guess not..."

"Poor, innocent Kiriha-kun."


	73. Sigh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Frontier
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Bokomon
> 
> -He does this a lot. Drabble

Bokomon is happy he can't fight.

He gets gratefully ignored. Instead, he's the keeper of any relevant information.

And of course, keeper of the blasted idiot Neamon. Not that he blamed the fellow for his status, of course. He wasn't a fighter, heck, he was not even a scholar either. He was just a fool, who stuck with Bokomon out of neighborly obligation.

He... could be a good friend... when he wasn't being outright annoying.

It wouldn't be as bad if the humans weren't so uneducated. Did no one teach about the Digital World like humans were taught about in the Digital World? Quite unfair, he had to say. It caused such strife and irritation within the group. Half the time, they went running into things and not out of them and he was sure his head was sore from all the times he had slapped it.

One day he was just going to slap them instead. He followed them for so long that his feet hurt, and they were good friends. And yet sometimes he wondered how they didn't all just fly off cliffs at breakneck speed at their lack of knowledge and forethought.

Then again, he thought to himself with a small, amused sigh, what would he have to do if he wasn't chasing after them?

Really now, he shouldn't be so foolish.


	74. Fingertips

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 02
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Wormmon
> 
> -Softness isn't weakness. Drabble.

No one else remembered, but he did.

He remembered gentle hands on his head, tears dripping on wounds.

He remembered a scared little face staring at him, begging him to be all right after a Devidramon nearly clawed his eyes open. He remembered Ken sobbing over a big brother who he didn't know or understand. He remembered a little boy who glowed from a simple compliment.

All people remembered was the Kaiser.

He knew the touch of a cruel whip and the hands bandaging a stinger. He didn't know how anyone else could not see it. He could see it. He could see the kind person.

Why did no one call out to that person?

He couldn't do it. He was a Digimon. He was Ken's Digimon. No matter how much the partner wanted to, they did not, could not, go against the human. It was in their binary. It just  _was_. Why did no one look at Ken and hold out their hand?

He could only guess at why the children did it. They were young and they were foolish, just like Ken-chan. They didn't know what to do, except to be heroes who needed to defeat the enemy. Or was that all?

He didn't know. He just wanted someone to remember kind Ken-chan... before he was gone forever.


	75. Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Tamers
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Guilmon
> 
> -Time was important.

Guilmon, at the beginning, could only think in certain times.

Times before Takato arrived, times when Takato was around, and times when Takato was gone. Two of them were boring and sad. The last was fun, and happy. Well, it was sometimes happy. Sometimes he cried with Takato nearby, or Takato cried.

However, he was always okay when Takato was around.

He could not explain it to Takato, because he thought maybe that person understood anyway. When he was waiting for Takato, there was always this feeling, this kind of... hunger. This want. It went away when Takato was around, and his stomach would hurt less.

As time went on, he realized he wanted to be with Takato a lot, and with his friends a lot.

His Tamer came first though, always.

After a while, he was able to see times different. Times where things happened, and times where things were going to. They were all important. All time was important... especially when people lost it.

He didn't want to lose Takato, like Juri had lost Leomon. Her voice had been so sad, so hungry and gone.

He made sure now... to watch the clock. Because something told him their time was almost up.


	76. Revenge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Savers
> 
> Genre: Angst
> 
> Characters: Agumon
> 
> -Agumon's thoughts during Ruin Mode Episode 34/35

Bastard! Bastard!

What the hell, you guys? You... you joined Kurata? I thought you were better than that, Gaomon! I thought you had more guts than that!

What the hell is the matter with you?

Don't you remember how much Kurata's destroyed? All the suffering? All the Digimon who can't come back? How could you? HOW COULD YOU?

Argh... I'm going to tear you down... and beat it into you... if this didn't hurt so much.

What did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME?

Ah... screw it. I'll kill you, you bastard!

The boss is right... you're unforgivable... for the others... and for causing this stupid pain! I'll turn this pain into power and... and...

Boss...

This is you, boss.

You've gotta stop. This really hurts. I can't think straight. I can't think at all. I... wanna beat those guys too... they're the enemy... but... it hurts. It really... hurts.

If I kill them... will you stop?

Okay, boss... we'll show those guys our man's spirit.

As long as you stop, okay?


	77. Desire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Tamers
> 
> Genre: Angst
> 
> Characters: D-Reaper
> 
> -Happiness is foreign.

Errors need to be corrected.

Bugs need to be deleted.

It was not a desire.

It did not need to comprehend such a thing.

It comprehended sadness. Yes, it understood misery quite well.

It was another sign the world had evolved incorrectly and needed to be brought back.

Brought back down to zero. Absorbing everything into itself, then deleting it forever. That was the protocol.

Thanks to Katou Juri, they were certain that the process they were meant to follow was correct. The world had made her suffer, therefore evolution had been too far and too incorrect to be brought about on the proper path.

There was no real need to justify its purpose. However, it was incorrect to believe that it did not have reasoning behind its actions. Orders were orders. Programming was programming.

The humans had their futile reasons to resist; it had the orders it was given.

It would carry them out. There was no reason to feel satisfied or happy about it. There was simply destruction or one thing, and the next, and the next...


	78. Free

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 02
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Takenouchi Sora
> 
> -Could she do something right?

She was getting tired of it.

Tired of her choices always being  _wrong._

She had played soccer, and that had been taken incorrectly. The only girl in a gaggle of boys, really. She should have known better. Well, now, this was different. She was going into tennis. She was going to be more girly.

Why?

Because she wanted to.

It was her choice.

A lot of people on the team were being absolutely awful about it too. Of course, that was until Taichi had done her the grace of kicking a soccer ball into people's faces and then took her out for a milkshake... not to mention she had practiced using her new racket with their foreheads... but still!

What was the matter with her choices?

So she was going to be different? So what?

She had resisted her mother because she thought her mother didn't approve of anything she did! And she had been wrong to do that! Her mother loved her. She had just wanted her to try new things and not just do them out of spite. So she had decided to try them. What was wrong with that, huh?

Why was it wrong to pursue her choices?

She was allowed to make them, wasn't she?

She was thankful to Taichi for that. She was thankful to all of them for that. They didn't disapprove of her choices unless they were genuinely foolish. And then she would have to live with them.

People just needed to get over it.


	79. Celebration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Xros Wars
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Shoutmon, Kudo Taiki
> 
> -For once, his heart wasn't in it.

Shoutmon knew Taiki pretty well.

He knew when the guy was faking.

Granted, he knew every one of Xros Heart noticed it, but he was the only one who called him on it with consistent results.

It wasn't hard to notice, considering he was the only one not being cheerful in the middle of a party. He was just sitting there, like a bystander. Shoutmon couldn't rock out to a dull tune like that. That wasn't the way a farewell between soul brothers was meant to go.

But he just kept laughing like nothing was wrong and rolling his eyes at Zenjirou and Akari bickering and Nene hugging Yuu like he would learn how to teleport.

He kept right on smiling and it must have hurt.

But the song didn't change.

He listened and listened and the song didn't really stop. It sounded upbeat with low undertones of darkness.

He wanted to say something, but Shoutmon realized it would just freak everybody out.

After everything, they probably didn't need that.

Taiki must have known that.

God, that sap. Too nice, way, way too nice.

Someday, he was going to break. Shoutmon would have to hit him on the head and fix him when he did.


	80. Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 01
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Kidou Jyou
> 
> -That first night...

There was nothing identifying in the night sky.

Jyou found it highly disconcerting. Then again, this world was made up of giant monsters, so the sky was the least of his issues. Until he fell asleep though, he couldn't stop staring. Not that Gomamon's snoring helped any, but the wrongness was almost an entity he could choke with his bare hands.

Hah. Him. Choke someone. Hurt someone. That was a funny idea. He couldn't even stand up to his parents... or even a drop of blood.

Gomamon snuffled and rolled onto his stomach, making him cough. Then he covered it with his elbow. He was such a bad group leader. He couldn't even sleep in a bus without panicking.

Not that he had expected to sleep in one anyway.

… Okay the stars were very distracting. There were no constellations he knew, nothing to follow. Argh, it was so confusing. He relied on being in control, being prepared. Clearly, that wasn't going to happen. What could he do about it?

Heck, what could any of them do about it? They were all in elementary school.

"Jyou?"

He looked down. Gomamon was blinking at him. "Go to sleep, Jyou," ordered the Digimon with a yawn.

Despite himself, he laughed. He supposed that was the best thing to do, in any case.

Jyou looked up at the stars and smiled a little. At least they were beautiful, like stars were meant to be.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad... until he woke up with a stiff neck.


	81. Elegy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Savers
> 
> Genre: General/Angst
> 
> Characters: Fujieda "Yoshi" Yoshino
> 
> -She was bad at this.

When she had first started being a DATS agent, she had been reluctant to kill.

This wasn't a surprise, she had been assured. She was young and not used to it. She would get better, or, if she didn't want to be badly hurt, it would be easier.

Lalamon was not okay with it either, but she was good at it. Yoshino could never deny; her Lalamon was strong. She was beautiful too.

Even before she had met her as a Budmon, she had loved plants. It was the only thing she did better than her sisters. Gardening required slow, careful effort. None of her family was really good at being patient. Budmon had required patience too. Yoshino, for all of her low self-esteem, could do that, at least. She was able to get a Budmon to a Lalamon, no Digivice, so... with a Digivice, this stuff was easy.

At least, in theory.

When the killing slowly got less painful, she felt horrible.

When people died, you were supposed to say things about them, to talk about them with fondness and send them on. What did you say about a monster who wanted to hurt others? "They were misunderstood?" "They didn't mean to?"

She couldn't say those things. Yoshino didn't know if it was true or not.

She really was the worst, after all.


	82. Space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 01
> 
> Genre: Tragedy/Horror
> 
> Characters: Apokarimon
> 
> -No one can hear you scream.

One death... and then another.

He had been born from many. Many thousands of failures.

Each was ugly. Each was pathetic with its own sin.

We should be stronger. We should have evolved.

But we didn't. Why?

What caused us to be here?

It is so lonely here.

All we can hear is ourselves.

All of us are screaming.

Why are you laughing? Why do you children laugh?

This is not fair. We would give anything to laugh with you.

Instead we are filthy. We are ugly, banished from the love of the light.

We wanted to speak of courage, of friendship, and love. We wanted to tell the ones we met in our time that we loved them.

And now we can't.

And you shouldn't either.

With this body, we will curse you.

With this body, we will eat you.

With this body, the light will never shine again in space.


	83. Whitewash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Savers
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Dukemon
> 
> -Defeat is painful.

Yggdrasil would lose.

He had obeyed because the tree was his commander, his king.

He was not acting like a king. Assuming to be obeyed simply due to a title... what had that accomplished in anyone? His king was a selfish child.

His subjects did not wish for death. Now that he looked, he couldn't see how anyone would. The destruction of the human world was... it was...

" _It's Showtime!"_

What right did we have to do this, in light of that monstrous man's actions? Are we so fond of revenge? Or destruction?

_I wish I could explain this to you, my liege. It will escape you, as these children's screams do._

His liege had never lived, so how could he understand what it was like to die?

How could he understand the joy of fighting until the last breath against an opponent who is your equal?

He could not, for he was a program merely meant to observe and decree, not to protect.

It was for this that he would be defeated.

Then, perhaps, he would sleep, and let the world fall into taking its own destiny.


	84. Coma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Tamers
> 
> Genre: Angst/General
> 
> Characters: Culumon, Katou Juri
> 
> -Juri... Drabble

Hey... Juri... Juri...

Are you going to wake up?

Please... please wake up. Everybody's scared for you right now.

Culumon... Culumon is really scared right now.

This isn't right... Juri!

He shakes her, starting to cry. Juri... wake up! Please... everyone's crying, fighting for you. This isn't right... nobody wants to be deleted Juri. Nobody! Juri, please! You aren't alone! I'm here... everyone's coming to save you!

So... please wake up Juri!

Beelzebumon is sorry, too... Culumon knows that for sure! He wants to say sorry. Take his hand Juri! Please...

Don't leave Culumon alone, too...

I thought from Leomon, you would have known...loneliness is scary...

Come back to us, Juri.


	85. Letters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 02
> 
> Genre: Friendship/Humor
> 
> Characters: Tachikawa Mimi, Palmon
> 
> -It was like a diary, just less tacky. Pre-02

She was writing to Palmon again.

It wasn't in an email... could Digimon get email? Was there an email Digimon? There probably was. It was probably called Inboxmon or something.

She didn't send her letters to Palmon either.

Certainly, she wanted to, but that seemed like it would take forever. Besides, if Palmon even got it, then she might as well open a Gate and come through herself to talk to her friend. And cry, though she would never admit that aloud. They both cried a lot.

That was healthy, right?

Tears eased the pains of the soul or something. She didn't remember how it went.

She wondered if she could teach Palmon how to hold a pencil. But could you hold a pencil in three fingers? You certainly could on TV but it must be hard. She didn't think Palmon would enjoy that. She knew Palmon could read. Apparently, Digimon just naturally knew how to do that.

Regardless, ,each letter sat in a diary, her messy script altering from Japanese to English depending on the lesson she had been learning that day. It would probably look ridiculous to any random passerby. Hence why she kept it under her bed.

Of course, it wasn't like her friends understood the whole Palmon thing anyway. She wouldn't tell them either. That was for the others... the real ones.

Nothing against her American friends. Just... Chosen Children had something that they didn't right now. She wanted them to get it.

A Digimon partner would be rather amazing too.

Dear Palmon, I tried dying my hair pink. I don't know how good it looks but there's lots of glitter in it and it's all wavy! At least the cut worked. Are you getting enough sun? You have to work on your tan... or your green I mean.

Do you hang out with everyone a lot? Are you guys playing on File Island? How many eggs have hatched? I've made friends here in America, but none of them have your fashion sense. It's a real shame.

Yes, that was good for today. There wasn't anything big happening in the world. All she had was peace, school, and more school!

She hoped she could give Palmon this diary in person one day. Then they could have fun and laugh at how silly she had been in fifth grade.

She couldn't wait.


	86. Phone call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 01
> 
> Genre: Humor
> 
> Characters: Yagami Taichi, unnamed operator
> 
> -It's BUSY! Our War Game (shameless dub version)

She wanted a coffee.

She gave her boss one of those glares that implied the weighing of a paycheck over a good sock on the nose. Why did the potential shut down of ethernet sense have to happen  _five minutes_  before her lunch break? What, could the terrorists not wait that long? The girl who would take over her shift was a chipper young college thing who preferred answering phones to filing tax forms.

At this point, she'd kind of like the tax forms. At least numbers didn't make that  _damn ringing noise_!

"All circuits are busy, please try again later."

That was going to be stuck in her head for weeks. Could she get a day off or something?

No, this was a menial job with bad pay and crappy chairs.

"Hey, want me to get you a latte?"

She nodded at her coworker, watching her go and be replaced by one of those men who clearly had no life. He really had to stop staring at her cleavage or she was going to punt him across the district. Of course that happy fantasy was derailed by the many callers picking her station. Of course, because they were probably  _stupid_ , they had missed that whole breaking news that said "GIVE UP ON THE PHONES! THEY DON'T WORK." So it didn't go through. She pressed the button and said, as cheerfully as she could.

"All circuits are busy. Please try again later."

The other side, a kid, sounded miserable at that. Oh just walk over to their house, you little pain in the rear. She hung up as gently as possible, hearing the man next to her almost curse out the customer. She smirked. Hah. You'd better lose your job.

It rang again, with the same light. She repeated herself, mentally counting from one to fifteen in her head. At least the kid had tried a different number.

She drummed her fingers, listening to her boss stalk across the carpet. For a third time, that kid called and to her misfortune, her temper decided to take this one.

"Didn't you hear me? IT'S BUSY!"

Her boss whipped to glare at her and she glowered right back, hearing the idiot kid sheepishly apologize and hang up.

"For god's sake, they aren't working!" she muttered until, very abruptly, their ringers quieted down. That emergency voicemail system was being turned on.

There was a strangled set of curses from the next room.

She laughed. She was happy not to be in charge of that.

Now, about that latte...


	87. Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Xros Wars
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Shoutmon
> 
> -Carve this into your heart! Episode 1

God... dang it.

This wasn't how it was meant to go. He was supposed to be kicking butt here... saving his village.

Damn it...

He had to get up... there was no way Ballistamon and his Starmon bros could do it all by themselves. And Lillymon... oh if he died, she was gonna be mad. Woman could blast the crap out of anything. There was a reason he asked her to stay home... and it was not because she was good in the kitchen. Because she wasn't. He remembered charcoal DigiNoir.

He still had things to do too... he couldn't die here.

That old man... he had sworn to him.

" _I'm gonna resonate my song through the world... and protect this place! Just watch me!"_

Yeah... just watch his data disassemble.

Ah... damn it, what the hell was wrong with him? He was supposed to be a hero! He was supposed to be awesome. Darn it... damn it!

"This is already the end... huh?"

He didn't want it to be. Screw that. He had a song... his friends had a song... they need to let it be heard in everybody's hearts.

They needed to let everybody be brought to tears of joy and faith and rock and roll.

"I'm going to die..."

" _Where are you?"_

What?

" _I can hear you! Where are you?"_

That guy... could hear him? Could hear his song... what the heck?

The rest... well, everybody knows how the rest went down, don't they?


	88. Drive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Frontier
> 
> Genre: Family/Humor
> 
> Characters: Tomoki's brother, Himi Tomoki
> 
> -One did not talk about the driving test. Post-Frontier

"Want ice cream?"

Tomoki jolted from his homework and looked at his brother with wide eyes. "E-Eh?"

The older boy's expression was stony, but he was trying to force a smile anyway. He really ought to tell him to not bother; he looked constipated. "Ice cream? Come on, little brother, I haven't heard you say no to that in life."

Tomoki nodded slowly. "Well... yeah, but..."

"But..."

 _Onii-chan looks like he wants to pummel the vendor._ Wisely, the younger boy kept that remark quiet. "Never mind!" He donned a smile bright enough for the both of them. "Let's go! I want to try that new strawbe- oh darn it." He hit himself. He wasn't supposed to sound that whiny or needy. He was working on this independent, growing up thing. It was a bit tough, but if Takuya-onii-chan could do it, so could he.

This cracked a real smile from his older brother. "Good catch." He beamed and followed the older boy out, not donning his hat. It was too hot for that. Also, if it fell into his ice cream, that would be cruel.

Why was his brother so mad anyway?

As they walked out the front door, Tomoki saw their dad's car parked awkwardly in the driveway. Then he paled.

Oh.

It didn't go well.

His brother stomped down the road with his hands in his pockets and Tomoki was reminded of Kouji-san trying not to sulk. It almost made him laugh, but his brother wouldn't want that. So he trotted after him. "What ice cream are you gonna get?"

"Something with liquor."

Tomoki pouted. "Onii-chan..."

His brother laughed. "Chocolate."

"Ooh."

Tomoki decided not to ask how many cones he hit, and wait for his mother's ask for the play-by-play of the test. It was going to be a complete mess.

Oh well, at least he got ice cream out of it.


	89. Missing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 01
> 
> Genre: Friendship/Humor
> 
> Characters: Palmon, Tachikawa Mimi
> 
> -She wished she had thumbs.

Mimi's journals were pretty!

It was weird to read, but she liked them.

Of course, she knew they were Mimi's. No one else had their diary appear under a flowerpot. No one else wrote in pink.

Actually, Palmon wasn't sure why Mimi had written at all. She probably hadn't thought she would get them. But there they were, right here in her... hand things. She wasn't really sure what they were, parts of the stem maybe?

She wished Mimi could read it to her.

It was hard to say why, exactly. Mostly it was because the entries kept switching languages and it made her head spin. Also... it made her miss her partner more.

She wanted to hear her voice.

She wanted to cry on her lap and tell her how Agumon nearly burned off her roots and that Patamon had used her head as a pillow after a nightmare.

She wished she could send her a letter too.

She wished she could tell her pink would always be her color and that too many stars would make her look like a tacky doll.

But she couldn't. They were too far apart.

Palmon did love reading about the cute boys and how she turned them down because they didn't appreciate herbs or made fun of people for being different.

Palmon, really hot guys are an insult! Make sure I don't get anybody who's a male model! Or someone like Jyou-sempai. I like Jyou-sempai, but I think he would keep me in a box if I got a cough.

She had giggled then. It was true.

Palmon had been mad when the Kaiser had come. Those diaries were everything. But... since she would get to see her partner, she would be able to tell her everything.

She supposed that was okay.


	90. Full moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Savers
> 
> Genre: Family
> 
> Characters: Yukidarumon, Noguchi Ikuto
> 
> -You don't have to be scared.

Babies cried.

That was the first thing she had learned as a mother, that this little boy was very quick to start crying and stop crying. It was one thing for it to be baby Digimon, but this was a human baby. This was a thing most people scorned in her world. However, she didn't care. It was helpless and scared. It was going to die if she didn't watch it.

Him, she reminded himself. He is a boy. He is probably hungry.

"He's a threat," she knew Gotsumon would say. She didn't care. The little whelp thought that about every single egg that hatched in her arms. Silly brat. She didn't know why he even despised humans so anyway. Any cause he like, he was as vehement about it as any human. She ignored him most of the time, even if Merukimon repeated his words. He was bitter, and old.

She pitied him. However, not nearly as much as she disliked him.

In the light of the moon, she washed the little baby, Ikuto, with snow, watching him giggle and chase the candle light in her other large paw. His eyes glowed and he hugged at her arm with a silly amount of strength.

She smiled. Ikuto was her baby.

She felt for the woman who had lost him. She would have been good to him, she thought.

Mothers were meant to be good to their children.

"I won't replace her," she told the giggling child. "I will be good to you, but I'm not her. Remember her, and be good for her, darling. She will need your smile someday."

Ikuto only cooed and Yukidarumon sighed. "What a silly son I have."


	91. Illuminate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 02
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Oikawa Yukio
> 
> \- He would do something right. POV swap

He was dying.

It was a sweet, cold word, like winter.

It was like that snowy day where he mourned Hiroki again.

It was like the day they had gone to college and built Yukidarumon together .

Back then, they could have conquered the world.

Now they could only feebly lower themselves into well-kept pits to be burned.

Oh Hiroki... I see it. I see our world. We dreamed of this... and I'm still alone... Oh...

Would you smile at it too?

You would, because you were full of justice.

I wish I had your strength.

I can't even step forward, and fulfill our dream. I can't even move my legs... because I was foolish.

Oh forgive me, my friend, for I was so foolish. I want to hit myself for it... I want to change what I've done...

No... there is no changing what I've done. We only have one chance at things. I have almost ruined mine. But there is still something I can do, isn't there?

Will you smile at this world with me... Hiroki?


	92. Sung For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: V-Tamer
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Zeromaru, Yagami Taichi, main cast
> 
> -We are stronger!

Screw you Demon.

Bug off!

I believe in Taichi! I believe in my friends! They trust me, us, whatever!

You think you're strong because you manipulate people.

Well, you're  _not_.

Even if you are the strongest, we are one!

I promised to protect Taichi and he promised to believe in me. That makes us better!

Everyone else looked down on me, called me a dog.

But Taichi... and Gabo... and Rei and Sigma and Hideto... hell, even Neo, your pawn, they believe in me right now. I want to protect them. I  _will_  protect them.

I will protect them from a thug like you!

Yeah, that's right, you're a thug. You and all those like you, you're just bullies who don't believe in anyone or anything, just because you're a virus. That doesn' mean you're any better or worse than us. That's not your decision to make!

Pal and Pul are Viruses too! Piemon, too... all the Digimon you killed for the sake of you taking over the world... what gave you that right, huh?

What gives me the right to kill you?

Stupid question, stupid answer.

I will protect them all! Their dreams, their hopes, I will save them!


	93. Choicees

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: D-Cyber
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Raku Teru
> 
> -I'll be brave. Drabble.

The water was cold.

Okay, forget cold, it was freezing.

But he would do this.

He wouldn't be scared. He couldn't. By being scared, he had worried Hikaru...and Masuken. He could do this because he was weak. He had to get stronger.

No... Agumon. Poor Agumon. It wasn't his fault. Teru was a weak Tamer. He was timid... and though good at Pendulum Shaking, was nothing special.

"I'm sorry..."

No. No, what was he doing? He had to be brave!

No... that wasn't right.

He could do this.

Yes. He wanted to be brave. He would do it. There were no hads about it! If he wanted to do this, he needed to gain courage, but he didn't have to do it. To be brave was a choice, and option. And it was one he wanted to take.

_Just watch you guys! Just watch me!_


	94. July

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 01
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Yagami Taichi, Yagami Hikari
> 
> -Everything was different that night, yet it was all the same.

"Taichi! Are you packed yet?"

"A-Almost!" He wasn't even close really. Who knew folding clothes took so long?

Hikari was sitting on his top bunk. Well, to be accurate, she was laying there. "Do you want me to help?"

He gave her a disbelieving look. "I can pack my boxers, Hikari." She wrinkled her nose and he grinned. "Told you not to be such a good person. You might have to hold your big brother's underwear."

"O _nii_ -chan!"

He laughed and so did she, until she started to cough. Though panic instantly welled up in his brain-

_A loud siren and a fallen soccer ball..._

He held it back and went up to her. "Mayday, too much air, too much air!" Climbing up, he gently slapped her breath. "Or maybe it's that mouse Miko was chasing this morning. You did say you were hungry." She pouted at him and then looked at his bag.

"This would be going faster if you had less candy," she informed him, giggling now that her breathing was back under control. She smiled at his pouting face, and looked out of the room at the sound of the TV. "Mmm..."

"You watch way too much TV, Hikari."

She nodded dimly, not really responding. Taichi chuckled and went to roll her off of his bunk and onto her own. She glowered at him half-heartedly, still trying to see the TV. "Come on, sleep. You gotta get better for tomorrow."

Hikari nodded again, and he noted that she was sweating, looking pained almost. "Come on, go to sleep."

He was trying to sound encouraging, but she only raised a weak fist to him. "Go pack."

Taichi grinned. "Atta girl."

In his heart, he was guilty. She was way too selfless for her own good.


	95. Spring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: 02
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: 02 cast
> 
> -It began on that day. 02 Ep 1

He was late for practice.

"Damn it! Jun, have you seen my soccer ball?"

"Why would I have your ball?"

"... I'm gonna ask you that when you come ripping through my room looking for the CD collection in your closet."

"How do you know it's in my closet?"

Daisuke did not deign to answer that and went back to throwing his room into working order. This was usually how he found his stuff, picking up his messes and praying to gosh he found things. "Ah, there you are! Stupid ball." It had somehow rolled under his bed, freaking half-deflated sack of-

"CRAP!"

He didn't have time to yell at himself. He grabbed his goggles and bolted for his backpack, running for the door. Scrimmage, scrimmage, had to hit the middle with all he had! He grinned at his reflection and ran out to the front door.

"Heading off to school!"

"Take care!"

He wasn't sure why, but hearing three voices tell him that make his heart swell a little.

_Everyone is safe... but I didn't protect them._

_I want to protect them._

He pushed away that young voice, not out of anger, but out of a rush to get down the stairs. She understood the voice... but at the moment, he had no power. He just had a soccer ball... and his goggles.

Daisuke grinned. "That's gotta be enough though... right Taichi-san?"

Goggles gave Taichi-san strength, they were a mark of something, something that Taichi had never put into words. Whatever that something was, it was very important.

Daisuke wanted to understand that something.

Today felt different though. Today, it felt that, even if for a moment, he would catch a glimpse of it, of that important thing that made Taichi-san so strong.

He was excited.

"Yahoo!" he shouted down the pavement. "Scrimmage fight, here I come!"

First and foremost, however, was soccer.


	96. Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Tamers
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Tamers cast, Matsuda Takato
> 
> -We will meet again. Pre-Message in a Packet

It was a portal! It was a real, honest to goodness portal!

Guilmon... he could see Guilmon!

Wahoo!

No, not just him! Everyone... everyone could see their partners.

He wanted to smile, dance, heck, hop rooftops all the way home. Then... at the thought of everyone, his brow furrowed.  _Katou-san..._

She was doing well... wasn't she? She was smiling more, laughing and visiting Ruki all the time. She would be okay... she would want to see Culumon and Impmon and laugh with them. They would go to the bakery and buy cream puffs and help Guilmon shovel Guilmon Bread down his throat.

He actually wanted to hear that good-old "momentai" from Terriermon right about now.

Poor Jen.

He rose up and turned on his heel, running out of Guilmon's old base. He was going to see the Digimon. They were all going to see them.

They had to make a plan. They all had to know and gather the group. Even Ai and Mako had to know, if they couldn't go.

The Digimon... they were going to meet again, no matter what!


	97. Ring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Frontier
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Kanbara Takuya, Frontier cast
> 
> -It was in their hands. Drabble

"Spirit... EVOLUTION!"

Hammy. Ridiculous.

But awesome.

It was also powerful. And cool.

Did he mention it was cool?

There was no way to explain it without sounding kind of ridiculous, but Takuya knew no other way. It was awesome. It was humbling.

It was destiny.

The bell for the fight would kick in and he would go all out, guns blazing and fists flying.

He would protect and fight.

They all had their own reason for doing what they did. For evolving, for fighting, for simply not going home.

It was important to know what those were sure, but...

The Data Ring on their hands was enough for him right now. It meant they were comrades.

Evil didn't stand a chance.


	98. New direction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Savers
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Daimon Masaru
> 
> -It was a man's way. Episode 48

That was a man's punch.

He applauded Agumon for it, on the inside. It had his feelings in it, just like it was supposed to. Masaru appreciated that. Agumon, even desolate, could face them with his emotions as raw as Masaru's own.

In the rain, however, he wished the damn dinosaur wasn't right.

Everyone was going home.

He would go back to normal, to fights with mere street punks, probably shoved back into school with his dad home. Ikuto would start going to school, probably with Chika. Tohma had his sister to cure, and Yoshino and the others... they probably had things tying them here.

So where did that leave him?

He was a fighter. Beating up strong guys was just how he did things. It was his way of life.

Could he really go back to beating up mouthy weaklings? That wasn't his style.

At least... it wasn't anymore. He didn't just pick fights to pick fights.

He picked them because he had a reason to fight them.

So... that kind of made his decision... obvious, didn't it?

Masaru, feeling the rain pouring down his body, grinned underneath his wet hair. He knew what he had to do now. Time to get home and pack.

"You ain't getting' rid of me so easily, you porker of a dinosaur!"

He shouted this as the manliest roar of triumph imaginable.  _You're my friend, my subordinate. Like hell we ain't stickin' together after all of this, you great idiot._


	99. Partners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Xros Wars
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Xros Heart, Kudo Taiki, Tatsuya
> 
> -Your dream is my dream! (Manga canon)

He had given up on his dreams.

It wasn't that he thought his dreams were stupid, or not worthy of being fulfilled... okay, maybe that was a part of it. He just didn't want to hurt anyone else like he had.

He had liked doing it. He had liked running around in a rush, pulling people along for the ride, but...

Thinking back now... that had been a big mistake, right? They probably had dreams of their own to fulfill... and he had selfishly ignored them.

How silly of them.

Well, he was having fun right now.

Yes, becoming the King with Shoutmon... it was painful, and sad, but everyone seemed happier being pulled by this rock-n'-roll kid.

This way would be better... wouldn't it?

No... he had been fooling himself, hadn't he?

He did want to dream. He didn't know what he wanted... but he did have something he wanted to do.

Heh. He really couldn't keep running from everything like this anymore.

Running towards something with all of his heart... that was a lot better.

"All right Shoutmon... let's go!"

"Yeah!"

They would conquer this adventure... and the next... and someday... maybe Shoutmon would help him with something he wanted to do.


	100. Legends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Season: Hunters
> 
> Genre: General
> 
> Characters: Akashi Tagiru, Gumdramon
> 
> -We will stand at the top!

"ARGH."

"Well, that was the most eloquent thing I ever heard."

"Speak for yourself. I don't even know what that means."

"Plebian."

"WHAT?"

Gumdramon snorted. "You're supposed to be my human, right?"

Tagiru almost strangled the bastard, but pulled his hands back at the last moment. "You do realize the King is right there, right?"

The dragon blushed. "I-I know that! He's my rival! I'd smell him in a heartbeat!"

"Then why aren't you panicking?" Tagiru snapped. He wasn't particularly angry or anything, just horribly, horribly incensed to get up and go HUNT. "They could beat us at any time!"

"Tagiru, they already ha-"

"Not yet, they haven't!" He rose to his feet and began to face, trying to work off this damn urge. He still had half the school day to get through. "Listen, Gumdramon, I know they've got a headstart, but we've got..." He faltered. "Spirit! And modernness! And..."

"Modernness?" He really could not believe that was a word.

"YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN!"

"Everything all right over there?"

"Yeah!" Gumdramon snickered, as a flushing Tagiru turned back to him. "Come on, we've got this!"

The blue dragon grinned. "Duh. I was just messing with you."

Tagiru's amber eyes glowed. "WHY YOU-"

Gumdramon could only cackle, bolting across the school rooftop away from his human partner. He had chosen Tagiru because he was this stupid, no more, no less.

It did help that he had enough faith for the both of them.


End file.
